One Hell of a Pair
by savagecry21
Summary: A workaholic drunk with a smart mouth and a jobless ex-delinquent with a short fuse. These two just simply redefine the word 'handful'.
1. Because 'he' was actually a 'she'

**Chapter 1 (Because 'he' was actually a 'she')**

He had been _so_ close. So painfully close to making it to the sixth month of his job. Sure, he was just a waiter, but to him it was definitely a milestone. For once, Yabuki Hayato actually thought he could go steady with this particular career path. Boy, was he wrong…

It wasn't his fault that he was such a hot-head. In fact, his father's genes should take the blame for that, along with the drunk asshole who threw drinks at his female coworker. It wasn't that he was feeling heroic at that time, nor did he have any special feelings for the girl; he just thought that it was plain wrong, so he stopped it the only way he knew how to: with his fists. He hadn't been the head of Kurogin Gakuen for nothing. Of course, said asshole just had to be a friend of the restaurant's owner. With that in mind, Hayato was booted out of there faster than he can flip them off. Now he was at some bar, spending the meager remains of his salary on cheap booze. It was turning out to be such a shitty night…which was bound to get even worse when he gets home. Hayato sighed deeply, finishing off the last of his beer. Though his father was out of town, he knew he would still have to face his younger brother. **"Damn, how do I even tell him…? 'Hey, Taku, guess what? I got fired…again'". **Sticking his hand into his pocket, he drew out a pathetic bunch of crinkled bills and left it on the counter.

Hayato began to walk home, kicking a can as he did along the way. He wondered how the others were doing. Ryu was a teacher, Tsuchii was a camera guy, even Take became a businessman. So where does that leave him? He remembered what he said to his father back when he was in highschool. _"I will become a man who will protect what's important to him." _At least it was something along those lines. Either way, he wasn't exactly living out that promise. **"Man, what the hell am I doing…?"**

He kept walking when, on a dark street corner, he saw something that was just all-too familiar for him. It was your typical group-of-three-ganging-up-on-one-guy scenario. It was already dark, so Hayato could only see their figures in the poor light of a street lamp. Still, it was rather easy to make out that the victim was rather small, about Takeda's size. Surprisingly enough, he was holding his own pretty well. Arms restrained by a member of the trio, the victim managed to land a solid kick to the groin to the guy who walked directly in front of him. _Idiot, _Hayato thought. Even _he _knew that was a stupid mistake, and truth be told, he wasn't really all that brilliant a guy. After the Groin Guy went down, the victim snapped his head back hard, effectively breaking the nose of the guy behind him. _Two down, one more to go. _Hayato decided it best to stay out of his affairs till he was done kicking the crap out of those thugs. However, the victim did the unexpected; instead of going for the third guy, he turned around, tackled the guy with the bleeding nose, got on top of him and started wailing down on his face like there was no tomorrow. At that moment, the Third Guy, shaking off the initial shock, kicked the victim squarely in the ribs, knocking him clean off his friend and onto the dirty pavement. Hayato heard the sound of violent coughing coming from the victim. _Damn, they knocked the air clean out of him…_

That was when the three thugs began to close in…

Clicking his tongue, he began to head for those strangers. **"Tch...Just how many people do I have to save tonight?" **he grumbled to himself. This wasn't his usual gig, it was Yankumi's! **"Oi! He's had enough, don't you think?"**

One of the guys refrained from kicking at the victim's already-huddled form and glared at Hayato through tinted glasses. **"Stay out of this, kid. This snarky little bitch needs to be taught a lesson."**

At that moment, he could only think about three things. First of all, who the hell wears glasses at night? _Are his eyes bad or is he that ugly? _Second, did he just call him kid? _Bastard, I've probably been fired from more jobs compared to you. That's not something a 'kid' can do! _Of course, it wasn't something to be proud of either, but hey, as long as he proved his point, he didn't care. Finally, the word 'bitch' registered to him. His eyes then traveled to their prey who was curled up like a fetus on the pavement. There were definitely tendrils of long hair there, and those legs…even in jeans, they were just too feminine to belong to a guy. Hayato couldn't see her face because of the hood on her jacket, but he could only imagine the damage they've dealt to the poor girl.

**"What the fuck do you think you're doing, hitting a girl?" **And just like that, his fists sliced the air and landed on the nearest body, eliciting a painful groan and crumpling to the ground. One by one, he took them down, and just for extra precaution, kicked the living shit out of them. Soon enough, the trio limped as fast as they can, leaving Hayato to tend to victim. **"Weak assholes…" **he hissed softly, then spit on the ground beneath him. By the time he looked back at her, she was struggling to sit up. **"Whoa, take it easy…" **He reached out for her in order to support her, but she cringed, thinking she was going to get hit again. **"Hey, look, I'm not gonna hurt you. See?" **Hayato slightly leaned away from her, palms up to show that he meant her no harm.

The girl, on the other hand, sat up with her head down, gripping her knees in a pathetic attempt to keep her upper body from keeling over. She coughed again, and this time, a bit of blood came from her mouth. Shaking, she wiped it with her sleeve. Then, slowly, she raised her face up to Hayato. Now it was _his _turn to cringe. She seemed anemically pale, with strands of matted hair stuck to the bloody wound on her forehead as well as a cut on her lip. There was also a bruise forming on her cheek and the beginnings of a black eye. His gaze then traveled to her hand, which was clutching her side. He then remembered that she was kicked like a stray dog, and he didn't even want to know what that injury must have looked like. Overall, she looked like she'd been chewed up, digested, and regurgitated back out. Still, despite the initial disgust, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her. **"Um…miss…?"**

Had he been trying to get with this girl, it would've been the lamest pick-up line ever, even if it was just for the sake of finding out her name. Strange Girl looked at him through glazed eyes, and feebly uttered a single word: **"God…?"**

_Huh? Is she…is she talking to me? _Sure, he saved her, and he figured he was good-looking enough, but God was a bit of an exaggeration. Still, it definitely stroked Hayato's ego. **"Well, thanks! You know, I—woah!"**

At that point, the girl began to lean forward, until leaning turned into falling. It would've been a perfect face plant, but Hayato caught her just in time. Holding her by her arms, her head unintentionally lay on his shoulder. To onlookers, it would look like he was consoling his crying girlfriend. **"Oi, miss, wake up! Don't pass out on me!" **He shook her violently like a ragdoll, thinking it was fine considering how damaged she already was. Yep, not even a blip. She was definitely out. He sighed, awkwardly patting the girl's head. **"What am I going to do with you…"**


	2. Because a change of clothes was needed

**Chapter 2 (Because a change of clothes was needed)**

At that moment, he could only do one thing and that was to get the hell out of there. The guys who beat her up could have friends nearby, waiting to help them finish what they started. Hayato certainly didn't want to find out and so he carried the girl bridal style and walked the rest of the way home. With his hands full, he kicked at the door instead of knocking on it. Consequently, his little brother appeared at the doorway, rubbing sleep from his eyes. **"Hey, Aniki, do you know what time it is…?"**

He could already feel his arms giving away under her weight. _Damn, she's heavy! _**"Taku, get out of the way for a minute…thanks." **As he sidestepped his brother, he nudged the door closed with his foot. Motioning to his brother with his head, he said, **"Help me out for a bit, would you?" **

Taku sighed, but did so anyway. As the brothers took their places—Taku at her arms and Hayato at her feet, taking her shoes off—the younger Yabuki couldn't help but notice the girl's injuries. **"What happened to her? And where did you find her?"**

**"Some guys were ganging up on her on my way here," **was his curt reply. Lifting her up by her legs, he motioned to his brother to do the same with her arms. The brothers then carried her over to their living room and laid her gently on the floor. Taku ran a hand through his hair, obviously perplexed by the situation. **"Well, it would've been better to bring her to the hospital," **he said, leaning down just a bit to inspect her injuries when he got a whiff of a familiar scent. **"Whew, smells like booze." **

Hayato, who hadn't really been paying attention, began sniffing at his shirt. **"Yeah, sorry about that." **

**"Not you, her." **Taku nodded towards the unconscious girl. Reaching into her pockets, he tried to search for some kind of identification. Nothing. No cellphone. No wallet. Just a Swiss army knife stuck inside her shoe, which he handed to his brother. **"Did she have a bag with her?"**

Hayato shook his head, still inspecting the small knife and its other little functions. **"If she did, they probably took it with her. Why the hell didn't she use this on those assholes? Then she wouldn't be here now. Sheesh, women…" **

Taku chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. It was just like his brother to say that, but really, he figured he was glad that he managed to save this girl's life. The younger Yabuki then got up and went to the kitchen for some towels and a bowl of warm water. **"Here", **he said, tossing one of them to his brother. **"The least we can do is clean her up a bit. Just don't go anywhere underneath her clothes."**

Hayato narrowed his eyes at his brother. **"The hell do you think I am, a creep? Screw you." **Nevertheless, he did as he was told. The only thing they took off from her other than her shoes was her jacket. While Hayato worked on her hands and feet, Taku was gently cleaning her face. Time and again, he dipped the bloody towel back into the bowl, and soon enough, even the water in the bowl itself was tinted red. Hayato watched his brother's meticulous work turn a wreck into something a bit more decent. Sure, it was still hard to determine whether she was pretty or not, but hey, she looked better without all that blood and whatnot. Finally, once they've bandaged her up, Taku disposed of the used supplies. He was heading straight for his room when Hayato called out to him. **"Oi! Aren't you going to help me with her?" **

Tired as he was, Taku didn't really care anymore. All he wanted was to go to sleep. **"She's your guest. You deal with her**." With that, he entered his room and shut the door with a final bang.

Hayato clicked his tongue, grunting at the girl's weight as he carried her again. **"How is she heavy…? She's about as big as Take!" **Then again, she wasn't as much a wimp as him, and she did manage to take two out of the three guys who attacked her, so he guessed she wasn't too bad. _Whoever she is. _They ended up in his room and he laid her down on the bed. **"You can stay here for tonight. Then tomorrow morning, you go back where you came from, alright?" **He spoke to her as if she was awake. Somehow, part of him wondered what it would be like if she was conscious at the moment. _Ah, well. We all can't have what we want. _Just then, he remembered that he forgot to tell Taku about his recent joblessness. Hayato bit his lip, wondering if he should go wake him for that bit of news, then thought better of it. He'll find a new job by tomorrow, and his little brother wouldn't even have to know that he was fired in the first place.

That night, he made his bed in the living room. Drunk as he was, it didn't take very long for sleep to take over. It was only a matter of time till he began dreaming about the monetary rewards he would receive from saving the girl, whoever she was…

~0~ (10: 35 a.m.)

From the moment she woke up, she felt sore all over. She squirmed a little on the bed, wondering why it didn't feel like the Posturpedic one she had at home. _Wait…someone else's bed? _Fearing the worst, she sat up a little too quickly and cried out from the pain that blossomed on her left side. She lay back down, feeling the same fabric of the shirt she put on the other night. _Okay, so my clothes are still on, and I'm the only one in this bed, _she thought, letting out a sigh of relief. Closing her eyes, she tried to remember what happened the other night. She was out with some friends, drinking. It was one of those rare occasions when she was without her ever-present bodyguard, giving her lots of leeway to do as she pleased. Being without her bodyguard was like being without her survival kit; like a trusty purse, he carried everything with him; cash, cell phone, car keys—stuff that would make her life easier. For one night, she was going to bum around without him, which was just fine with her. She met up with some friends that night and went to their usual bar. However, by some unexpected turn of events, one of her friends lost her car in a bet, and so she set out to get it back the only way she knew how: beer pong. Three rounds, to be precise. She was victorious, of course, and her friend got her car back safe and sound. The only problem was that she was already too wasted keep enjoying the rest of the night, so her friends offered to drive her home. Her answer? A quick and decisive, no, saying that she still had a couple more shots left in her. She simply had no idea as to what her limitations were, but who was going to stop her? Her friends? Certainly it wasn't going to be her absent bodyguard.

So they left her in that intoxicated state, thinking that she could take care of herself. It wouldn't have been a problem, of course, but then Curly, Larry, and Moe showed up—specifically speaking, the guys who lost to one girl in beer pong. Drunk and pissed off, she remembered them demanding that they wanted the car back. She countered that she won it fair and square. But of course she didn't stop there…oh no, she just had to keep running her mouth till such time that the Thug Trio got pissed off. And so what do you get when you combine four drunk, irritable people and a poorly-lit street corner?

A full-fledged beatdown.

She was shit-faced, cocky and delusional, thinking she could take them all on at the same time. Sure, she managed to take out two, but ultimately, her ass got handed to her like a present during Christmas. Everything was blurry from there, except for relentless blows that rained down on her body. Then…it stopped.

She remembered hearing grunts of pain, but they weren't coming from her mouth. Eventually, there was the sound of retreating footsteps, but it certainly wasn't her. At that point, she could barely tell left from right. All she knew was that by some miracle, she was alive. Someone saved her. **"God….?"**she remembered saying after getting a brief glimpse of her savior's face. _If that's you, then I'm definitely going to church more. _

Fast forward a couple hours later. Slowly, quietly and surely, she pushed herself off the unfamiliar bed and walked over to the door. Sliding it open a little, she peeked out and surveyed her surroundings. It looked nothing like the snazzy places she's lived in, but something about it made it seem so—home-y. Like someone's mom or dad would just pop out of nowhere and offer her food and parental warmth. _What the hell…? _She thought, wondering why such a weird idea just crossed her mind. Then her head began pounding and she just knew. _Eh, it's just the hangover talking. _

Her eyes traveled to a huddled form on the living room floor. She figured it was a guy, judging by the broadness of his back. For a moment, she wondered if he was the one who saved her. If he was, then she figured she should say thank you…but that would also mean that she would have to wake him up. For a while, she mulled it over in her head until she ultimately decided that it wasn't worth it. She'll thank him the next time she sees him—granted the opportunity, of course. Besides, she had more pressing matters to attend to. Not only did she look like hell, she felt like it and she was pretty sure that she smelled like it to. Sniffing the inside of her shirt, she almost gagged. There was blood, sweat, and booze, all in a mixture that would make anyone grateful for the invention of showers. However, she didn't have to luxury to take one A.S.A.P considering she wasn't at her own house. And so she went with the closest thing possible to being clean—fresh clothes.

She figured it was okay to raid the closet. After all, she was a guest, right? And plus, he already saved her…what's another thing to add to the list of things she should thank him for? Quickly, she picked out a shirt and a pair of jeans. Tearing her own shirt into improvised bandage strips, she wrapped it around her abdomen, focusing mainly on her left side. Then she changed into her new set of clothes and neatly piled the ones from last night so she could take them along with her.

Carefully, she slid the door back once again. The plan was to sneak out as quickly and quietly as humanly possible. However, something still gnawed inside her. Wasn't she being rude, not even expressing the tiniest hint of gratitude to her savior? She clicked her tongue, cursing her well-mannered upbringing. Nevertheless, she figured she could at least leave a note. Finding a scrap piece of paper and a pen, she scribbled her message and snuck out of there. As soon as she made it out of the front door, she finally figured out her savior's last name: _Yabuki. _She smiled, tapping at the characters almost playfully. **"I owe you, Yabuki-san. Someday I'll return the favor."**


	3. Because a little food goes a long way

**Chapter 3 (Because a little food goes a long way)**

It's been a while since he'd seen his old homeroom teacher, but it seemed just like yesterday that she was staring at him almost stupidly through her nerdy glasses. Well, to any onlooker, it might've looked stupid, but it was those eyes that actually saw him—not just looked at him—and believed in him for the first time in his life. Hayato was job-hunting when he ran into Yankumi, who then invited him to have lunch at Kuma's Ramen Restaurant. Of course, he obliged, mostly because he was hungry and she said it was her treat. **"So, Yabuki, how's everything going with you?" **

He slurped on his noodles loudly, hoping the obnoxious sound could drown out the question. Why, oh why did she have to ask him something like that? He swallowed audibly, knowing that he just can't lie to this woman. It would almost be like lying to a child. **"Could be better," **he answered vaguely and continued slurping.

Yankumi's brow furrowed with worry. **"Don't tell me…you've gotten into a fight again?" **

_Multiple, actually. _But of course he wasn't going to tell her that. She might get mad and end up not paying for his food! So he nodded, and ate as fast as he could.

**"Honestly, Yabuki…why? You were doing so well!"**

Putting the bowl down, he finally addressed the matter at hand. **"Look, I swear this time it wasn't my fault. Some guy threw drinks at my coworker, so I let 'im have it. Then there was this girl…"**

It had been about a week since the strange girl disappeared from his house. That morning, Taku left early for something school-related, leaving his older brother snoozing on the living room floor. By the time he woke up, he was all alone in the house. Naturally, he checked his room and was surprised to see it in such a neat state as if no one slept there the previous night. All he had to remember the odd encounter was the Swiss Army knife that he and Taku had taken from shoe. That and the note she left on his pillow…

**"Oh, so you got yourself a girlfriend! Good job!" **said Yankumi, effectively breaking his train of thought.

**"Huh? Wait, no—"**

Upon hearing only what Yankumi said, Kuma got out of the kitchen with a look of pride and happiness on his chubby face. **"Finally, a girlfriend! Congrats, Yabu-!"**

** "SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" **he yelled, looking rather annoyed at the sudden accusation. **"She's just some girl I picked up on the street…"**

Yankumi's eyes almost popped out of her head. **"You're dating a prostitute?"**

**"Oooh, Yabuki, you pimp! I didn't know you had it in you!" **said Kuma who, in turn, received a playful swat on the arm from his wife.

Hayato sighed, smacking himself on the forehead. **"You guys…Will. You. Let. Me. Finish?" **he growled loudly, hitting the table for emphasis. Then everything got quiet. Dead quiet. Not only did he get the attention of those two, but also the rest of the diners at the restaurant. Upon realizing the air of the situation, Hayato went back to finishing his food silently, waiting for the unwanted audience to ignore the previous outburst. One by one, heads turned away from their table and resumed their own conversations. By the time he put the bowl back down, he continued to speak—this time, in a much calmer tone. **"I saved this girl from three guys. Since they beat her up pretty bad, I took her home with me and my brother and I tended to her injuries. She wasn't carrying any identification—no wallet, no cell phone, nothing. So we let her sleep over. The next morning she wasn't there anymore. All she left me was a note."**

Yankumi listened with the intensity a little kid had during story time. **"Ahh, now I get it…" **she said, nodding approvingly. **"Well, that was very nice of you two. So, what did this note say?"**

Along with the knife, Hayato had the note in his pocket, so he fished out the scrap piece of paper and handed it to her. It read:

_**Thanks for saving me. **_

It was signed by a Kamiya Juri, followed by a postscript saying:

_**P.S. I borrowed some of your clothes. Hope you don't mind. **_

The first time he read it, he immediately searched his closet to see what was missing—a blue button-up short, admittedly one of his favorites, as well as a pair of jeans. No matter how hard he tried to picture it, he just couldn't see how the girl managed to change so quickly, make everything fit, and sneak out of his house undetected. He wondered about that for a moment, until…

**"So, are you going to look for her?"** asked Yankumi.

Hayato raised an eyebrow at his former teacher. **"What for?"**

** "She left without saying anything to you. For all you know, she could be in big trouble."**

He sighed, rolling his eyes at her. Leave it to Yankumi to go on hero-mode or whatnot for some girl that she didn't even know. Scratch that, they did know her—by name at least. Kamiya Juri. It's a little something to go by, but what the hell was he supposed to do? Scour Japan for someone of that name, wearing his clothes and looks like she's been kicked around like a soccer ball? **"Eh, I'll pass." **

The answer obviously shocked Yankumi. **"Oh, but...Yabuki! Don't you want to just swoop and save the damsel-in-distress when she's in great danger?"**

_Just like a fucking kid. _Honestly, the things she says…she makes it seems like everything's going to be just fine, and that unicorns are going to be shitting rainbows for somber souls to enjoy as they run into the sunset. And she's the granddaughter of a Yakuza? _How the hell does that even happen? _He wondered. As for her previous question…** "Yeah…no. Sorry, but right now, all I want to do is get a job. For that to happen, I'd have to find one first," **he said, standing up and pushing his chair in. **"Thanks for the meal."**

He was heading for the door when he heard Yankumi say, **"Be patient, Yabuki! You'll find something soon! Do your best!"**

Seriously, hearing her say those things was quite embarrassing…then again, he couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic. He smiled a little and snorted out of amusement. _Looks like nothing changed after all. _

~0~ (10:45 p.m.)

Home was a place to rest, recuperate and reflect on what happened during the day. To Yamaguchi Kumiko, it didn't matter that the place she called home was overrun by Yakuza or that the person she called 'Grandpa' was the Boss. It was her safe haven, her oasis. That night, she just finished grading a massive pile of the world's most disappointing test papers. Worn out from the numerous failures, she decided to take a break and drink with her Grandpa for a little while. From one cup of sake to another, she began to tell him all about her day, including her run-in with a previous student. **"I believe he's trying his best. His heart's in the right place. It's just that the circumstances…"**

The Kumicho smiled at his granddaughter who was looking rather pensive, staring into her cup as if she'd find the answer floating around in there. **"Kumiko, sometimes the circumstances of life stop or don't allow certain things to happen because there's something better down the road. Sometimes searching for it can take a while, but eventually he will find whatever it is he's destined for. As for you…"** he reached over to her, and took the sake battle away. **"…you should probably get some sleep. You've still got to face those brilliant students of yours tomorrow, right?"**

Kumiko chuckled and nodded. "**Good night, Grandpa." **

Kuroda Ryuusei watched as his granddaughter retreated to her room while he, on the other hand, continued to drink. Earlier that day, he received a call from an old friend, asking for a favor. A loyal bodyguard to the daughter of a well-known lawyer, he's grown quite attached to his charge to the point that he acts like her "second father". However, he also has a family of his own—a daughter and two grandkids—who lives in Hawaii. And so now he felt like it was his responsibility to find a temporary replacement just for three months. He figured calling the honest Boss of the Ooedo Group would solve his problems. However, the Kumicho also found himself at a loss and frankly, a shortage. His friend was looking for someone young, energetic, and can keep up with the demands of his young mistress. What the Kumicho had in mind was an enthusiastic, fresh-faced recruit—the only problem was that they haven't had any luck with that in a while. He he could always dispatch Tetsu or Minoru to his friend's aid, but he figured he should be realistic. Could those two really keep up with a 22-year-old girl? From what his friend told him about his charge, she was quite a handful. And those two already have their hands full with Kumiko…

He pursed his lips in thought, remembering a particular jobless Kurogin graduate. **"Hmm…Perhaps it'll be okay…"**

* * *

><p><strong>Let me know if this should continue or not, 'mmkay?<strong>

**Reviews are LOVED :)**


	4. Because strangers aren't dangerous at al

**Chapter 4 (Because strangers aren't dangerous at all)**

It had been three days since the odd encounter with the beaten girl, and Hayato had already put her out of his mind. He had other things to tend to. After being fired from his last job, Hayato knew he had to make ends meet in his household, just until his father comes home with his paycheck. And so he spent the next day walking about town in a shabby suit, looking for a new job. With his luck, he either got the "we'll-be-in-touch" or "we'll-keep-your-resume-in-file" bullshit from every single establishment he'd been too. The young man was already running out of patience, but he knew he couldn't go berserk just yet. He needed to calm down and think. It was already around lunchtime when he decided to call it a day and go over to Kuma's restaurant. From behind the counter, the chubby entrepreneur greeted him with a smile. **"Ah, Yabuki! How's it going?"**

Hayato would've loved to return the smile, but his facial muscles seemed fatigued as well. **"Shitty as always,"** was his reply. He sank down in char next to the window and propped his head up with his hand. **"I've been everywhere and no one wants to take me. I'm young, strong, easy on the eyes and no one wants to hand me a damn job."** He was well aware that he was on full-on bitch mode, but what could a jobless guy do? Hayato leaned back and stretched, his spine cracking like that of an old man's. He needed to do something to loosen himself up; otherwise, he might end up with a walker at the age of 40.

Kuma smiled wryly and ladled up a bowl of ramen for Hayato, thinking he could use a pick-me-up. Walking over to his table, he placed the bowl in front of him, much to the young man's joy. **"Wait, Kuma, I'm broke. I can't pay for this,"** he said just as he broke his chopsticks apart. But the Shirokin graduate just smiled and waved it away, presenting a kind gesture that would warm the heart of a certain strange homeroom teacher. **"Don't worry, it's on the house."**

That was all the cue he needed to dig happily into his free meal. **"The rest of the world should be like you, Kuma. Then everyone would be happy."** And fat, too, but hey, as long as there was kindness underneath all that meat, who cares?

Still the taste of ramen couldn't drown out the fact that he was utterly broke. He didn't want to make Taku work because that might interfere with his studies. And he was such a smart kid too. Hayato was afraid that he'd end up like his deadbeat brother. _Please, God above, not him. He can do better_. As he slurped on his noodles, he felt a strong, reassuring hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Kuma smiling down at him like an enlightened Buddha. **"It'll work out at some point. You just gotta be patient and wait for it." **

Hayato sighed deeply, but mostly just to inhale the delectable smell of his food. Chubbs was right, though. The only problem was that patience was one of the things he lacked in his lifetime. _Oh well, _he thought. He'd never had a set plan in life since day one, so why start now? However, the thought at the back of his mind pushed itself forward and made itself now. **"I just want them to get better now. I swear, I'll do anything for that to happen."**

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

In the far end of the restaurant, a well-built elderly man with graying hair sat silently, flipping through his newspaper as he sipped his tea. He should've been out of there half an hour ago, but he was curious as to what his old friend was offering him. Apparently, the great Kuroda Ryuusei had already found the answer to his dilemma. He could go on his trip to Hawaii to see his family worry-free, seeing as he'd already found a temporary replacement. However, a man as meticulous as him just couldn't be satisfied with verbal recommendations, even if it came from both the Kumicho and his granddaughter. No, he had to dig deep and do his research like any good bodyguard would do. Since his young mistress was bedridden due to a broken rib, he had time to visit the young man's old school and ask about him. Much to his disappointment, he didn't find a reliable student who graduated at the top of his class and was involved in all the school activities. That was his standard at least, and he knew that his old friend must have known that about him. Nevertheless, the Kumicho insisted that he take the number of his ex-delinquent from a troublesome class, the infamous 3-D. Had Ryuusei finally lost his mind? How was he supposed to entrust to this violent bum the life of his precious charge? He was going to be away from three months, damn it, and his flight was in two days!

"_You haven't a lot of options, so don't close off this one. He's a bit rough around the edges, but his heart is in the right place."_

The old bodyguard sighed deeply, his mind completely drifting away from the article he was supposedly reading. This wasn't a matter of the heart, but rather, the strength of it. Sure, he was looking for someone capable of doing damage when needed, but he also needed someone who'd be willing to take care of his young mistress while he was away. She was, for all intents and purposes, insane but not clinically diagnosed as such. With that in mind, he'd seen the strongest men falter in contact with her. Some of them wanted to quit, both their job and possibly their lives; others wanted to quit the job and maybe kill her too, just so they could cleanse the world of her craziness. For the life of him, he couldn't understand why she did the things she did, but he stood faithfully by her side ever since she was little. Maybe that was why he was one of the very few people close to her heart, and that was a position that he cherished and took care not to lose.

He stared at the young man eating his ramen with much gusto. The old man sighed for what seemed like the umpteenth time and finally rolled up his newspaper and tucked it underneath his arm. _I don't have time to be indecisive. I still have to go home and pack for Hawaii. _He walked towards the young man's table and sat in the chair in front of him. In an instant, he took the chopsticks out of his mouth and set his bowl down in front of him, warily watching the senior citizen in front of him. The old bodyguard's mouth formed into a tight smile as he fished out his calling card from his jacket pocket. **"Yabuki Hayato, isn't it? My name is Shinichi Shotaro and I'm here to offer you a job."**


	5. Because crazies need love too

**Chapter 5 (Because crazies need love too)**

Had he really been eating that noisily that he managed to attract the attention of a strange old man? A well-dressed one at that, too. Expensive looking suit, huge ring on his finger, black leather shoes that were squeaky clean…what the hell was _he _doing in a ramen shop? Shouldn't he be at some five-star hotel restaurant, sipping on some really expensive foreign booze? Hayato sat up a little bit straighter and looked down warily at the calling card in front of him. It was plain and simple: the guy's name—Shinichi Shotaro—and his number. No logo to indicate if he was affiliated with a company or if he was just flying solo. _What the hell…? _He looked from the old man to the card and back again. He looked a bit rough and sturdy, but that was all softened by his well-groomed appearance which, in Hayato's book, made him all the more sketchy. After all, why would he be approached by someone like him? He hadn't done anything in particular…unless he'd been listening in on his conversation with Kuma? Frantically, he played back everything he'd said in his head and sure enough, one particular statement stuck out like a sore thumb. _"I'm young, strong, easy on the eyes and no one wants to hand me a damn job…."_

Almost instantly, Hayato jumped up, his seat falling back behind him. **"Woah, hold it right there! I mean, I don't have a job right now, but I'm not **_**that **_**desperate. Sorry, gramps, but I like girls. I am **_**exclusively **_**for the use of women."**

His outburst had earned him the attention of the handful of patrons in the ramen shop, but this time, the stares of disgust were aimed at the elderly man across from him, whose face was now contorted into an ugly snarl. **"You dumbass—" **he said, reaching over and grabbing him by the front of his shirt. **"I like women too! So sit your ass down and listen before jumping into conclusions!"**

Angry eyes flashed at him and he knew the weird geezer meant business. But upon the shirt-grabbing gesture, Hayato shook his hands off and sat down, still keeping a wary gaze at him. The old man mirrored the same look, fixing his jacket in an attempt to regain composure after the brief misunderstanding. **"Now that we have that settled, let me explain. I'm simply here to recruit you, though I won't be the one to sign your paychecks. That's up to the—" **Just then, the Mario theme song began to play, and Shinichi-san grunted in annoyance. Hayato watched as he fished the phone out of his jacket pocket and answered. **"I'm at a ramen shop, do you want anything?—what? That's too much food, you can't eat all that—they have their own food, quit feeding them!—wait, don't move! The doctor said not to!—damn it, I'm doing business here!—alright, fine! I'll get you what you want, okay? Don't move an inch. I'm hanging up, so bye." **

Hayato raised an eyebrow at him. Could that be his employer? He sounded like an overbearing asshole. But then when Shinichi-san waved Kuma over and ordered 15 bowls of yakisoba and 15 udon, his jaw practically dropped to the floor. Even Kuma's eyes practically bugged out of his head when he heard the old man. **"Um…are you planning on getting that to go…?" **asked the shop owner.

Shinichi-san just shook his head. **"It's a delivery to the psych ward patients in the hospital nearby. Do you think you can manage?"**

Kuma nodded mutely, his eyes already turned into yen signs as he went off to come up with the recent order. Obviously he was making bank tonight and Hayato had a feeling he could be sharing the same fate. But as much as he wanted to rejoice with him, there was still another matter that needed addressing. **"Okay, so let me get this straight. Your employer just called you to feed a bunch of crazy people?"**

The old man sighed. **"It would seem that way, wouldn't it?"**

_Seem, my ass. That's exactly what it was! _Whoever this "employer" was, he had shitloads of cash to burn. Maybe he could get him to impart some of those blessings to him? It wasn't unlikely; after all, he was being offered a job. Now all he needed was the description, something that Shinichi-san was only too happy to provide him with as soon as he got to talking again. **"Just let me cut to the chase here, since we were so rudely interrupted and I don't think we have much time left. You will be paid a monthly salary of ¥350,000 for a duration of six months. You will simply be filling in for me. At the end of these six months, my employer can recommend you to a new job which will be, of course, permanent." **

Hayato nodded, yen signs already imprinting themselves onto his eyeballs. However, he shook his head when he remembered something crucial. **"That sounds great and all, but what exactly will I be doing? I don't think you explained that part to me yet."**

Shinichi Shotaro breathed deeply and looked over at the counter, where Kuma emerged carrying two large boxes and smiling from ear to ear. **"It looks like we're ready then. Come on, you two. I'll drive you to the hospital." **The old man got up and walked out of the ramen shop with Kuma and Hayato at his heels. They kept walking outside until they reached a blindingly white Hummer. While Yankumi's ex-students gaped at the car, the old man turned to Hayato with a grim look on his face. **"It's better if I show you so I know what you're up against. If you're man enough to take the job, then so be it. If not, then I guess you can continue bumming around for your next meal. In the end, it's your choice."**

Hayato stiffened as he climbed into the Hummer. Other than Kuma's happy chattering, no one had uttered a word since the car started on its way. He couldn't help but wonder why the old man was being so ominous. Still, he needed to money. No matter what it was, it couldn't be that bad, right? The only reason he'd walk away is if he was asked to do some kind of drug deal. He'd never sink that low but since that wasn't the case at the moment, he figured he was safe. _Give me a break, you old fart. I just need a job. Whatever it is, I can handle it. I'm Yabuki fucking Hayato, damn it! _


	6. Because hospital beds are fun

**Chapter 6 (Because hospital beds are fun)**

A few minutes later, they finally reached the hospital. Pulling into the parking building nearby, Shinichi-san drove all the way to the third floor and parked there. At the same time, a bunch of other cars trailed behind them, hurriedly finding empty spaces and leaving their respective vehicles to go inside. The ones who were already there were rushing towards the elevator in a frenzy that only the old bodyguard could understand. **"She's done it now," **he said in a very troubled voice.

Hayato blinked once, then twice. Did he just hear him right? **"Who's 'she'? Oi, old man, what are you talking about? Do you know what's going on here?" **He didn't like how everything was looking right now. Beside him, Kuma looked as if he was thinking the same thing. It was going to be hell trying to carry two large boxes of food inside a cramped elevator—that is, if they can even make it there safely.

Shinichi-san opened the door and beckoned the other two to get out. **"Hurry up, both of you," **he said, looking over his shoulder at them. **"That elevator's gonna take a while. Let's use the stairs."**

Hayato didn't have a problem with stairs but he had to admit, the old man deserved some props. What was he, like in his late-60s or so? And he was good in shape as far as he could tell. Kuma, on the other hand, looked like the wind got knocked out of him—and that was before they even started the climbing the first flight. By the time they got to the second, he was already wheezing like a tired little piglet. Without another word, Hayato showed him some mercy by taking the other box. **"Thanks, Yabuki!" **Kuma said gratefully.

The Kurogin looked back at him and grinned mischievously. **"Don't mention it. Just feed me again next time I go to your place and we'll call it even." **Kuma smiled and nodded. There was no way he could say no to that request; it was a fair exchange, after all.

After conquering the third and last flight of stairs, they emerged right in the middle of chaos, also known as the hospital psych ward. It was a place where sanity barely existed, but never lasted for long. Hayato and Kuma's jaws both made it to the ground at the sight of a middle-aged woman dancing totally nude down the hallway and breaking into a run when she saw a nurse coming after her armed with clothes and a loaded syringe. An attractive gaggle of young nurses ran past them, screaming and looking back at the naked old man chasing them in his wheelchair. A haggard looking young girl emerged out of a room, throwing glass equipment at a wall and yelling obscenities at it as if it were a living thing. Hayato inched closer to Shinichi-san and grabbed his sleeve, but his eyes were peeled at the craziness of the scene before him. **"O-oi, old man, do you know what's going on here? Hey, answer me! Is this your employer's work?" **

But the old bodyguard merely shook his head and screwed his eyes shut as if to pretend that everything was alright. **"I wish I can say no, but then I'd be lying." **Hayato's eyeballs practically bugged out of his head. Before he could say anything else, Shinichi-san nudged him forward along with Kuma. **"They're already getting cranky because she promised them food. So come on, the sooner we find the main desk, the better." **

They walked briskly, ignoring the sideshows that happened all around them. Hayato did all that he could do keep himself from punching one of the patients in the face. Poor Kuma looked like he just wanted to get the hell out of there and curl up with his sane-and-loving wife and child. Among the three of them, Shinichi-san looked the least disturbed, but he was probably used to it judging by the way he smoothly maneuvered them through the chaotic hospital. Finally, they reached the main desk, and nurses were bustling about, handling phone calls from relatives and the like. One nursed noticed the three of them and her face contorted in instant annoyance. **"I'm sorry, sir, but this whole wing has been closed down due to the ruckus. We're not allowed to discharge patients. You'll have to go down to the first floor for that." **

The old bodyguard gently smiled at her. **"Oh no, dear, I'm not discharging a patient. I'm just here to bring in some food. Ah, Kuma-san?"**

On cue, the chubby male waddled up to the counter and opened up the box, unleashing the distinct aroma of yakisoba. Hayato followed suit with his box which contained the udon. Almost instantly, the nurse's demeanor changed from annoyance to gratitude. **"Oh, thank God, we're saved!" **

But Shinichi-san was no longer paying attention to her. Pulling out his phone, he held it up to his ear and waited for his employer to pick up. While he was busy with that, the other two began taking bowl after bowl out of the boxes and arranged them into a neat line, ready to be served. Hayato was setting a pair of chopsticks on top of each bowl when he heard as strange sound. He stopped for a moment, ears perked up in attention. **"Hey, Kuma-san, you hear that?"**

"**Hear what?" **The Shirokin graduate looked around halfheartedly. He didn't care much about the situation anymore considering that he'd already done his job. He was simply waiting for Shinichi-san to get off the phone so he could get paid. **"I don't hear anything."**

Hayato shook his head, knowing that he just can't be wrong. It was there, alright. It sounded something like the Indian battle cries he'd heard in John Wayne movies and…wheels? That can't be right. He looked around frantically, wondering where that strange sound was coming from. Finally, the source made itself known. As it got closer and closer, his eyes widened in horror and faint recognition…

_No. Fucking. Way. _

Riding a hospital gurney pushed by one of the psych patients, she whooped like an Indian into her megaphone as she sped down the hallway. At the sight of the ramen bowls lined up in a neat row, a manic grin crossed her face as she lifted the megaphone to her lips. **"HEY GUYS, FOOD'S HERE! EVERYBODY DIG IN!" **

She was loud—so loud that it made Kuma and Hayato cringe. Nevertheless, she got her point across and it was only a matter of time till they were completely swarmed by the crazies. Arms frantically reached out to grab a bowl to keep for themselves, but that was until the Queen of the Crazies called them out on it. The hospital gurney stopped nearby and yet she was still yelling into the megaphone. **"HEY, YOU! YEAH, I SEE YOU, YOU SELFISH BASTARDS! SHARE, DAMN IT!" **

Finally, Hayato could no longer take it. This loud-mouthed bitch was going to get a piece of his mind. **"OI, SHUT THE FUCK UP! YOU'RE GONNA BLOW UP SOMEONE'S EARDRUMS!" **

The girl's face contorted into an ugly snarl. She took a deep breath, preparing to let loose on the megaphone once again, when Shinichi-san stepped up and got a firm hold of the device. **"Please, Juri-sama, that's enough. Just look at what you've done to the place. Calm down already, will you?"**

His ears perked up once again at the sound of her name. _Juri? Now where have I heard that before…_He kept his gaze on her as he racked his brains for clues. Her grip on the megaphone's handle now slackened and she looked like a child who'd just been scolded. For a moment, it seemed as though she was going to apologize, but one look at Hayato changed her mind. Instead, she harrumphed and sat back on the gurney, legs splayed apart despite the fact that she was naked underneath her hospital gown. At this, two out of the three males looked away just in time, save for Shinichi-san who pulled down the sparse garment to cover it all up. **"I'm gonna have to ask you to close them up. You're not a kid anymore, so don't act like one."**

At that moment, her face no longer betrayed any kind of emotion. Underneath the huge piece of gauze taped to her forehead, her eyes were blank and dead, as if she'd stopped caring anymore. **"You're getting awfully boring, Shinichi-san," **she said, clicking her tongue impatiently. Taken as a signal, the thin young man who'd been pushing her gurney snapped back to life and rolled back before speeding down the hallway again.

The old bodyguard watched as his charge was whisked away by a madman, all the while resuming her Indian whooping. **"Aren't you going to go after her?" **Hayato asked.

He shook his head. **"What for? She needs to start getting used to my absence. That's where you come in."**

Hayato scoffed, shoving his hands deep in his pockets. **"Oh, hell no. If you think I'm going anywhere near that noisy, insane bitch, you must be out of your—"**

"**Are you sure you should be saying that, Hayato-kun? You're jobless and the girl on that hospital bed might be your final shot at employment." **

_Final shot, my ass. I'd rather walk on a bed of coals. _**"Up yours, old man. I don't need hellish girls like that in my life. I prefer—"**

Shinichi-san shook his head and stared on ahead. **"Her name is Kamiya Juri. She's the daughter of an esteemed lawyer. As you can imagine, her family is filthy rich. As you may have also noticed, she's a handful, which is why she requires a bodyguard—that's me, but seeing as I will be gone for six months, you will fill in for me until I come back. I'm sure we've discussed the pay and this can all be yours if you just accept it."**

By the time Hayato processed all the information, one thought alone stood in his mind. He remembered the note on his bed, the unused Swiss knife, his stolen clothes. He knew those bruises looked all too familiar, and he was willing to bet that underneath that hospital gown was a taped-up ribcage. He couldn't help but laugh at the sheer coincidence of it all. **"Is there something funny, Hayato-kun?" **the old bodyguard asked.

"**Actually, yeah. Small world, isn't it? Honestly, I never thought I'd see her again." **He shook his head in amusement and began walking towards the general direction of the runaway gurney. Looking back at Shinichi-san over his shoulder, he said, **"I think I deserve a bonus. After all, I've saved your girl once before."**


	7. Because the smell was unbearable

**Chapter 7 (Because the smell was unbearable)**

Hayato sprinted down the hallway, his head whipping left and right in search for the runaway gurney. The fact that the whole psych ward was on lockdown should've helped his case, but rather, it was further complicated by the chaos that met him at every turn. But with the staff and personnel working hard to subdue their wayward patients, the commotion slowly began to die down. Once again, he was able to listen for the distinct sound of the elusive hospital bed. Even as the patients were being herded back to their respective rooms, he prowled down the hallways, his footsteps ever so quiet. **"Hellooo…Juri-sama? Come out, come out, wherever you are…" **he said in a singsong voice. **"It's alright…I wanna meet your crazy friend too…"**

Suddenly, he heard a faint giggle coming from a room with the door left slightly ajar. Hayato turned to it with a triumphant smile on his face, thinking he finally found them. Inching towards the door, he reached out to push it inwards. **"Marco…?" **

As soon as the door was opened just wide enough, something fell on him from above, eliciting a bit of a scream from the Kurogin grad. To his left, the bathroom door swung open, revealing Juri piggybacked on her crazy henchman. **"Look, Kyosuke, our trap worked!" **

"**Damn you, you little—" **He took a step towards them in an attempt to grab Juri, but Kyosuke instinctively backed away. That was when Hayato got a whiff of himself. The stench was all too familiar, too disgusting that he just had to turn around and look at the bed pan on the floor to confirm his greatest horror. Eyes burning like molten iron, he focused all his anger on piggybacking pair. _Screw it. Forget working for her. _**"YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD MEAT!" **

He lunged for them and was instantly blocked by Kyosuke's hand on his face. Wielding a shower head in his other hand, the madman held a shower head aimed it right at Hayato's face while Juri, without leaving the safety of her henchman's back, reached behind her to turn on the water at the tub. A torrent of water attacked the other male's face, making him retreat but not enough to make him completely leave the room.

Bouncing up and down on the madman's back, Juri urged him forward. **"Quick, Kyosuke, run!" **

But the psych ward patient needed no more prodding. Taking initiative himself, his foot shot forward, catching Hayato right between the legs. Instantly, he doubled over in pain and that was all the opening Kyosuke needed to escape with Juri still on his back.

Seething, Hayato struggled to stand up and go after them. Dripping and smelling like a urinal, he ran around the hallways, ready to tear that psycho and his mistress into pieces. It didn't take him long at all to find them again; whizzing on the cross hall right in front of him, he saw that the insane duo managed to secure yet another gurney. **"OI, GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE YOU COWARDLY BASTARD!" **he yelled, chasing after them at full-speed.

He was right at their heels when he realized that the ward was open again and they were headed past the nurses' station towards the stairs leading to the next floor. By that time, Juri was already screaming—not out of excitement—but of fear. **"Kyosuke, stop…STOP!"**

The last thing he remembered seeing was the gurney flying out of the psycho's grasp—rider and all—and tumbling down the stairs. The resounding crash brought Hayato back to his senses; Kyosuke, on the other hand, didn't move an inch from where he stood. Feebly, he turned around, eyes wide and glassy. **"I-I-I-I s-swear I d-d-idn't mean t-to, I-I thought she'd—"**

"**YOU THOUGHT SHE'D WHAT, FLY?" **Hayato roughly grabbed him by the front of his gown and pulled his face close enough just to yell at him. **"SHE'S GOT A BROKEN RIB, YOU MORON!" **Scoffing, he shoved him out of the way and bounded down the stairs to get Juri, who was face down on the floor with the hospital bed lying diagonally across her back. Gritting his teeth against his growing annoyance, he pulled it off of her. _This counts as overtime. I better get fucking paid for this, _he thought, flipping her over in order to assess the damages. The fall didn't add any new ones to her collection of breaks of bruises. However, she was unconscious, but Hayato was determined to change that. **"Oi, Juri-sama, get up," **he said half-heartedly, prodding at her face with the back of his hand. **"What the hell happened to all that energy? You were yelling like crazy just a minute ago. C'mon, up already. I swear, I'll drag your ass back up these stairs by your ankles."**

Her brow furrowed a bit and a groan emanated from her lips. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open and they began to focus on the face hovering above her. For a good minute or so, she just stared at him until her nose began to crinkle in distaste. **"Oh God, get away from me. You smell like piss," **she grumbled as she sat up. **"Ugh, my head…"**

Meanwhile, Hayato breathed in deeply and just about gagged at the smell of him. He would've yelled at her, but he didn't have any more energy to spare—he was tired, cold and wet, in more ways than one. **"I don't wanna hear it. Besides, this is your own damn fault, so you're gonna suffer along with me. Now come on." **Hooking her arm around his shoulders, he pulled her up and wrapped an arm around her waist for support.

"**Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing? Geez, could you just—"**

Exhaling sharply, he stopped in right in the middle of the stairs to glare poisonously at Juri. **"Okay, miss, here's how it's gonna go down. You're gonna shut up while I take you back to your room, alright? One more word out of you and I swear, I will throw you out the fucking window." **

But the injured girl merely met his glare with a sneer that would make any gentleman want to hit her. Hayato came pretty damn close, but he kept himself in check, all the while thinking about the money he was going to get after this ordeal. **"Oh, I wish you would. Then I can take your ass down with me."**

Hayato shook his head and scoffed. **"Well, aren't you the little ingrate."**

"**Ingrate? Just what do I have to be grateful for, you piss-covered bastard?"**

He quickened his pace, making sure to drag her a bit so her foot would hit one of the steps. Upon hearing her yelp in pain, he let himself smile a bit, glad for a meager bit of revenge. **"I've still got your knife, Juri-sama". **

The floored silence that ensued, followed by her tripping up the stairs, was more than he could ever ask for.

* * *

><p>As soon as he returned her to her room, she was seen by a doctor under Shinichi-san's orders. Much to his surprise, she didn't utter so much as a single protest; instead, she complied obediently and sat on the bed as the doctor shined a light at her eyes. As for Kuma, he'd already gone home after receiving his payment from Shinichi-san. Meanwhile, Hayato shook his head at what he thought to be an annoying display—namely, Juri. <strong>"Honestly, why the hell is she like that? It looks like the only person she'll listen to is you," <strong>he whispered to the old bodyguard.

Smiling, Shinichi-san shook his head. **"You'd be surprised at how much we argue. The only difference between me and everyone else is that I've known and stayed with her the longest." **

By the looks of it, he'd give it about ten years or more. Juri herself seemed like a full-time job and it was no wonder that the bodyguard, despite his lack of gray hair typical to men of his age, already sported lines and wrinkles on his worn-out face. _Must be one hell of a salary. Benefits too, _Hayato thought as he sighed and put a hand on the bodyguard's shoulder. **"Now I understand why you wanna go to Hawaii. Can't say I don't blame you, old man. But it's all gonna be okay now. Just go out there and have fun."**

"**Does this mean you're taking the job, Yabuki-kun?"**

Hayato shrugged, his eyes trained on his future charge. The doctor looked like he was going to finish soon and he loathed the think what kind of new hell he'd have to endure once that girl was released. **"I don't have much of a choice, do I? I mean, I've already saved her before. I just never thought I'd be making money off of it. Speaking of which…" **He fumbled in his slightly damp pockets for a pen and used the back of a receipt to write his name and account number. **"I believe I'm due for some compensation? After all, I've had a bed pan dropped on me by the girl whose life I saved." **

"**A bed pan? That's nothing. Just be glad she didn't set your hair on fire." **Taking the piece of paper, the old bodyguard tucked it safely into his jacket pocket. **"I will send you the money before I leave tomorrow. Would ¥5,000 suffice?" **

The Kurogin grad practically had to pick his eyeballs off the floor before nodding to the aforementioned amount. However, his mind was still wrapped around something else. **"Um, Shinichi-san…when you say 'set your hair on fire', you're talking figuratively…right?"**

He was hoping for a lie or anything else that was readily believable to ease his mind, but the old bodyguard merely shot him an incredulous look. **"What? No. Back when she was still little, she really did set my hair on fire. I walked around looking like a cancer patient for a while after that incident, but it's all water under the bridge now." **

Hayato could feel himself die a little inside. _That's it, I'm screwed. I've already sold my soul to take care of the devil's daughter. _He was going to say something else when the doctor finally walked up to the Shinichi-san to present his findings. Due to the fall, Juri had a slight concussion—nothing serious—but the doctor advised that she be woken up every two hours for an AVPU assessment. Through all of this, Shinichi-san nodded his understanding and thanked the doctor for seeing her on such short notice. As soon as he left, he and Hayato exchanged a look, wondering who was going to take first watch.

Of course, Juri was the one to decide this. **"Hey you, pissface". **Hayato knew exactly who she was talking to and he turned to her with a death glare. However, she remained unperturbed as she held an ice pack to her injured head. **"Get the hell out and get yourself cleaned. I don't care where you do it. I just don't want you around stinking up my room."**

Before Hayato could even snap at her, Shinichi-san intervened by pulling a key card and a hotel card from his pocket and waving it right at the young man's face. **"While you're at it, you should get yourself acquainted to your new home for the next six months. This is the key to a penthouse in Shibuya. The address is written on the card so you should have no problems finding it."**

"**By no means are you allowed go into my room," **Juri butted in.** "I swear, if it even smells remotely like a urinal, I'll hang your ass out to dry." **

"**Just go up to the front desk and tell them you're Kamiya's temp bodyguard. Don't forget to show them your key, though," **said Shinichi-san as he grabbed his shoulders and turned him so he wouldn't be looking at Juri anymore.** "Now, as soon as you get in, go straight to my room. You can fix yourself up there and use some of my clothes until you get your things situated over there. Once you're done, come straight back here so you can take over. Understand? I still need to pack and I leave next morning so you had better not be late."**

Hayato clicked his tongue and shrugged the man's hands off. **"Alright, I get it. Geez. I'll see you later." **

Grabbing the two cards, he finally left. After a couple of minutes or so of walking, he finally got to the station where he boarded a train to Shibuya. Upon finding an empty seat, he collapsed down on it, grateful for the slightest bit of rest. He felt heavy, tired, and weary, but his night was far from over. Nevertheless, he figured he deserved a breather after everything that's happened. _Besides, I still have to go back to the devil chick…damn._

* * *

><p>This took a while to produce so...sorry .<p>

On a much brighter note, thanks so much for the reviews, guys :)


	8. Because money is a motivator

**Chapter 8 (Because money is a motivator)**

Ever since the replacement came back to relieve Shinichi-san of his duties, Juri had been counting the hours patiently till morning. Prior to that, she didn't allow her new bodyguard to sleep so much as a wink, insisting on playing all sorts of card games till the break of dawn. It was all a matter of enduring sleeplessness, something that she was quite accustomed to. In the end, she was triumphant; at around 5 am or so, Yabuki was already passed out on an armchair, snoring like a newborn infant. Carefully, Juri tiptoed out of bed and knelt in front of him, blowing slightly at his sleeping face. The response she got was a single twitch of a nostril, nothing more. _Perfect, _she thought, smiling gleefully.

The closet where her clothes were kept when she was admitted to the hospital was right next to him so she had to be careful as she opened it. With every little creak, she would look down to see if the new guard moved at all. Though it certainly wasn't the first time that she was sneaking around him while he was asleep, she knew she had to be careful. She couldn't let him catch her now, not when she'd already sacrificed a whole night's sleep just to get out of there. After all, she still had one thing left to do before her old bodyguard left and that was far more important that staying till she was officially discharged from the hospital.

Producing a pair of jeans, a white v-neck shirt and a fresh set of underwear from the duffel bag Shinichi-san packed for her, she began to get dressed. With her back turned to him, she pulled the hospital gown over her head and let it fall to the floor. Had he woken up right at that moment, Yabuki would have been met with the sight of Juri's bare ass just as she was putting the rest of her clothes on. Not that she would've minded, since she cared so little for censorship. But according to what her old bodyguard told her when she was little, young men hid dirty images in their heads until they were old, and she'll be damned if she would ever contribute to their already-rich store of pornographic information.

Upon pulling her shirt on, she tiptoed back to the closet to grab her phone, debit card and combat boots and closed the door. Just as soon as it clicked shut, Yabuki sneezed, sending Juri on full-on paranoid mode. _Oh God, please don't wake up, _she thought, repeating the mantra over and over in her head as she stood completely still. A few minutes passed and all he'd done was scratch his nose and he was back to being unconscious again. A sigh of relief passed through Juri's lips as soon as that was over and she wasted no time at all in leaving the room. As soon as she was out in the hallway, she pulled on her boots and walked right out of the hospital, avoiding any personnel that might stop her from doing so.

She made it outside without a hitch and soon enough, she was in a cab headed for the airport. Juri checked the time on her phone, which now read 8:15. _An hour till boarding. I've still got time. _Tapping at the glass divider that separated the driver from the passenger, she asked, **"Excuse me, but would you mind stopping by the boutique down this street? I just need to pick something up." **

The driver grunted his agreement and soon enough, he was parked right in front of said establishment. The boutique was called Ma Petite Chérie, a French-inspired store that specialized in handmade toys that were crafted overseas and shipped to Japan. Since Shinichi-san had told her that he was going to visit his daughter and grandchildren in Hawaii, Juri took the liberty of calling the store and placing an order for a teddy bear and a music box. Now all that's left to do is pay an insanely expensive amount for their services, including gift-wrapping, and of course, pick them up. Seeing as she was the first customer to walk in, she got all her business settled and even managed to snag a cup of coffee from the store's gracious owner, a half-French, middle-aged man named Arnaud. **"This isn't a coffee shop, Juri, and I hoped you'd do well to remember that," **he rattled off in French, testing the girl's knowledge of the language as he put two brightly-colored packages in one bag.

She'd been taught French as a child, but seeing as she was only eager to leave and too tired to respond, she merely answered him in Japanese. **"Not today, alright? My brain hurts. I think I still have a concussion."**

The biracial man chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. **"Honestly…I pity Shinichi-san and every other man who has to be with you," **he replied in her native tongue. **"Taking care of you must be a pain in the ass." **

"**Talking to **_**you **_**is a pain in the ass," **she said curtly, taking the bag from his hand. **"See you around, Arnaud."**

* * *

><p>With fifteen minutes till departure, Shinichi Shotaro sat patiently at the terminal, his leg bouncing up and down in anxiety. Despite the fact that he was eager to see his family, he couldn't help but wonder if leaving Juri was a good idea. <em>Maybe I should've taken her with me. Then again, she probably won't go…too obsessed with her work. <em>Since he left the hospital, he imagined that his young charge had already made minced meat out of his replacement. The old man merely prayed that Yabuki Hayato would be strong enough to withstand it all. **"Oh Lord, please watch over those two. Don't let them kill each other. Or rather, don't let her kill him…" **he mumbled, hoping the Man upstairs could hear him.

"…**that's so mean, Shinichi-san. Shouldn't you be praying that **_**he **_**doesn't kill **_**me**_**?"**

The familiar voice came from the seat behind him and he turned to see the face of none other than his young charge who was dimpling at him as if all was right with the world. Except… **"You're not supposed to be here! The doctor said you should rest your head." **

But the girl merely waved away his suggestion. Instead, she stepped over her chair and sat right next to him. **"I don't need rest. I'll sleep when I'm dead. Besides, I wanted to see you off." **She turned to him, eyes wide with the kind of honesty that she rarely showed people. **"…am I not allowed to do that?" **

Shinichi-san sighed; there was no winning when she looked at him with those expressive eyes of hers. **"Even if I said no, it's not like you'd listen," **he said, putting a hand on top of her head.

"**But I **_**do **_**listen to you. Well, sometimes. Still, that's better than none at all,right?" **She bit her lip for a moment, and the old bodyguard only knew too well what was going to come out of her mouth next. **"About yesterday…I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. I'm really sorry. Look, I even bought peace offerings!" **Putting her hands into a large paper bag, she produced two gift-wrapped boxes from Ma Petite Chérie. **"The blue one is for Ami, and the pink one is for Reiko. Um, Shinichi-san, is there something wrong?"**

The old bodyguard looked at her with a fond smile on his face. Why she couldn't act like this more often was beyond him, but that was oddity that was Kamiya Juri. He accepted that a long time ago when he promised her father that he would protect her. Since then, he treated her like his very own daughter but even he couldn't accept such a lavish gift. Knowing Arnaud, he could barely only imagine how much the toys in those boxes cost. **"I'm sure the kids would love it but…don't you think it's a little too much?" **

Juri shrugged and put the boxes back into the bag, pushing the whole thing into his hands. **"Don't worry, Ichiro will reimburse me. He still owes me from that last job, so I should be fine." **

The old man nodded pensively. **"Oh, that reminds me. Doesn't he have another thing lined up for you? I talked to him a couple days ago and he said he needed you to look into something for an upcoming case." **

"**I swear, if it's another cheating bastard, I'm gonna shoot his face off," **she said in a deadpan tone.

"**I don't think your father would approve of that," **he said, chuckling. That was one thing he'd never understand about her; despite how much she made a show of hating her brother, she could never say no to his requests. **"Either way, you should talk to him about it. He thought it might interest you this time." **

She shot him a dubious look and scoffed. **"Yeah, right. And there's no way I'm calling him. I'm a P.I, not a golden retriever. If he wants me to get to work, he better get his ass over here and tell me personally. I'm sick of doing all his shit over the phone." **

Shinichi-san shook his head in amusement as he gathered up his belongings. It was almost time to go. **"You know you just want to see him. Why don't you just swallow your pride and ask him that? Plain and simple."**

Juri didn't say anything more; she just looked at door leading out to the tarmac, then back at her old bodyguard. **"Don't be gone for too long, alright? Yabuki-kun might not be able to survive it," **she said, smiling jokingly.

"**Take it easy on the newbie. If it weren't for him, you'd probably be eating your meals through a straw". **With one last wave, he walked away from her and boarded the plane. Even as it finally took off the ground, his thoughts were still turned to his daughter-in-all-but-blood. Looking down at the bag of expensive toys resting at his feet, he couldn't help but smile. _There's still hope for her yet._

* * *

><p><em>He sat in a dimly lit room surrounded by beautiful women from all over the world, catering to his every whim. The scent of perfume was all around him and it was intoxicating. Naturally, it all got him a little hot under the collar so he loosened his tie and breathed deeply, attempting to calm himself down. Then suddenly, a blinding white light exploded in the room. As every else was blurred in its brightness, the women disappeared and he was plunged into darkness once again. Then a new light emerged—this time, a red one. It was small, but then it grew to a blazing furnace. Out of the inferno rose the Devil's Daughter, her talons and claws dripping with blood and her mouth twisted into a demonic sneer. She walked out of the fire and towards him, standing so close that he could smell the rotting purgatory that was her breath. Only then was he able to recognize her face and his eyes widened in fear. It was—<em>

Hayato awoke with a start, screaming a single name on his lips. **"JURI!" **

Panting, he looked around to see if there were any strange lights in the room. Seeing as there were none, he let out a sigh of relief and settled back down on the armchair. _Just a dream…or nightmare, more like it, _he thought, calming himself down. He remained in that state for a while until he noticed the unnerving quiet that blanketed the room. Puzzled, he gave the room another once-over when he finally noticed the glaring difference right in front of his face. _Oh God, no…_

He sprang up from his seat and circled the room frantically, looking for any sign of where his new mistress might be. Other than the hospital gown discarded on the floor, there was nothing else. Hayato paced back and forth, wringing his hands with worry. It wasn't that he cared for the girl; rather, she was just his money. He needed her to be safe and sound; otherwise, he'd never get paid even after the kind of hell he'd been through. **"Okay, calm down…", **he breathed, loosening the tie on one of Shinichi-san's suits.

True to his word, the old man did have clothes that would fit him. The only problem was that they fit a little too perfectly. When he arrived at the penthouse the other night, there was already a section of the old bodyguard's walk-in closet that was laden with brand new suits, ties and leather shoes. Either he was thorough in his research or he was just a damn creep. There was also a Blackberry and lockbox with a note attached to it that read, _for emergencies only. _Taking the Blackberry as well as a set of his new clothes, Hayato changed and went back to the hospital as instructed. Just before he switched with Shinichi-san, the old man gave him a briefing. The lockbox apparently contained a loaded gun, hence the note. As for the Blackberry, not only did it hold information about Juri, it also had her appointments on the calendar and the numbers of family, important clients and acquaintances.

By the time he realized that he still had it in his pocket, it began vibrating loudly, startling the life out of the Kurogin grad. For a while, he fumbled with the phone until he finally pressed the button to put it on speaker. **"Hello, Juri? WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?" **

A condescending sigh emanated from the other line. **"You know, you shouldn't yell like that. What if one of my clients called you?" **

_Clients? _He hadn't yet perused his way through the information in the Blackberry so he had no idea what she did for a living, let alone the fact that she actually had one. _Wait, isn't her family insanely rich? _Shaking his head, Hayato focused on yelling at her once again. **"That doesn't matter! You have concussion. The doctor says you're not supposed to—" **

"**Oh, shut up already!" **she said, sounding rather impatient. **"I'm at the airport, so come pick me up. But before that, call the hotel and ask them to bring breakfast up to my place. Just say 'the usual' and maybe add in whatever the hell you want. Either way, it had better be there by the time we get home. Got it?"**

He just kept bobbing his head to everything she was saying until a single phrase replayed in his mind. _"Whatever the hell you want…" _For a moment, he wondered if he heard her right. Did she just tell him to order whatever he wanted? Figuring he was too hungry to argue, he did as he was told right after she hung up on him. As soon as the order was placed, he got into a taxi and soon enough he was at the airport. Finding Juri took almost little to no time at all—she was lounging on a bench right outside the building, reading a newspaper as she calmly sipped on her coffee.

"**You're late," **she said, not even bothering to look up at him.

Hayato wanted to take the paper and crumple it right at her face; instead, he managed to squeeze out an answer through gritted teeth. **"Well excuse me, miss, I didn't think there was a time limit." **

The moment she looked up at him, her eyebrow was arched in what would soon be called the 'Grand Bitch Arch'. It pretty much said everything that would actually make Hayato contemplate hitting a woman. **"You don't seem to think a whole lot, do you?" **she said, folding up the paper and tucking it under her arm. She then stood up and walked towards the taxi that was waiting for them. **"Well, you'll have to fix that soon enough—if you want to keep working for my family, that is." **

_Family? I'm surprised there are people who want to claim her as one of them, _he thought, keeping his mouth shut the whole time. They got into the car at about the same time—him behind the driver's seat, her on the other side. She resumed reading her paper which she seemed to be so engrossed with so she didn't talk much, leaving Hayato alone with his thoughts. Then, when the taxi had started and all was quiet, she said, **"Just so you know, I never wanted a bodyguard—you can thank my idiotic father for that. You're only stuck with me because he pays you to do so, but that doesn't mean I'm obligated to take it easy on you. I do hope you'll remember that, Yabuki-san." **

_Is it too late to throw myself out of the fucking car? _He thought, keeping his eyes on the road outside his window instead of his new mistress. Without looking at her, he replied, **"Whatever you say, miss." **_Whatever you fucking say, because I'm just in this for the money. _


	9. Because the odds were in his favor

**Chapter 9 (Because the odds were in his favor)**

The ride back to the penthouse in Shibuya was filled with nothing but ice-cold silence between the two people sitting at the back of a taxi, not even sparing so much as a glance or a nod at each other. The driver couldn't help but look at his rear view mirror time and again, just to see if anything about them changed, but alas, there was absolutely none. Animosity suffocated the back seat to the point that it made the driver feel like the awkward audience to it all. Now more than anything, he just wanted to dump the two misanthropes he had picked up and move on to more cheerful patrons. Soon enough, they finally arrived in front of the hotel. Without looking back to her male companion (or the driver, for that matter), the female stepped out of the taxi and strolled into the hotel wordlessly. The young man, fumbling with the meager bills and coins in his pocket, finally managed to come up with the money to pay the driver. By his standards, at least the male had better manners. The female, on the other hand, just didn't seem to give a damn about anything.

By the looks of it, even her male companion, too. **"Oi, Juri-sama, wait! That bitch, leaving me like that…" **he muttered, shutting the door and going after her.

The taxi driver suppressed a chuckle as he drove away. An interesting pair, those two were. If he didn't have a full-time job, he just might want to stick around the hotel just to see how things turn out between them.

* * *

><p>By the time Juri and Hayato got to the penthouse, one of staff was already positioned right outside the door with a trolley laden with breakfast food. <strong>"Thank you, Izaki-kun, that will be all. He'll take it from there." <strong>Upon waving him away, she nodded at her new bodyguard as she opened the door. **"You heard me. Go. I want to eat while it's still hot." **

"**Yeah, yeah…" **Following Juri, he trudged the rest of the way in as he pushed the trolley along. The inside of the penthouse looked like it was pulled straight from a magazine. Everything seemed to have a modernist appeal to it that pretty much said I-have-all-the-money-in-the-world-so-I'll-just-spend-a-crapload-of-it-on-interior-decoration. _Rich people, _he thought, mentally scoffing at the lot of them. Nevertheless, the indisputable fact was staring him right in the face. _Kamiya must be crazy loaded. _

Turning back to Juri, he asked, **"Where do you want this?" **

"**In the living room. Come on now, you must be hungry. Besides, we still have to talk about job conditions". **She went ahead and settled down on the sectional couch and beckoned him to sit as well. **"What are you waiting for, an invitation? Already gave you one, so get over here. Now." **

Puzzled, Hayato complied and sat down after he laid the covered plates and utensils on the coffee table. As soon as everything was spread out, Juri proceeded to attack her brioche. It was all chew, swallow, chew swallow; for a moment there, he thought she ate like a robot. _Guess it fits. Robots don't have souls and neither does she. _

While she opted for a western-style breakfast, Hayato worked steadily on his traditional one, starting with the miso soup. He ate with just as much gusto as she did, maybe even more, but the girl had more pressing matters to attend to. Putting her brioche down, she began to speak. **"You've been here before the other night so I'm sure you've already seen Shinichi-san's room. That's where you'll be staying while you're under my family's employment. Your contract states that you'll be staying there during the weekdays. You can go wherever the hell you want over the weekends. As for vacations—"**

Hayato held up a hand to stop her for a moment, putting down the bowl of miso soup that he'd been so steadily working on till the last drop. **"Hold on a minute. What contract? I never signed anything."**

"**You didn't, but ever since your verbal agreement with Shinichi-san, I'm guessing he might have taken the liberty of holding your bank account hostage. I won't go into the details of his way of doing things because frankly, I don't give a damn as long as he gets the job done." **Juri reached over to stir her Earl Grey tea.** "Simply put, if you ever so much as screw me over, my family will financially ruin you."**

"**What?" **At that point, his meal felt like it was going to crawl back out of his gut and come out as projectile-vomit aimed right at her face. _This is…this is insane. This is blackmail! _**"Fuck that, that HAS to be illegal. No fucking way am I going to stay here five days a week and go back to my house for two. I'd rather—"**

She put the teacup down and glared at him as she leaned forward. **"You misunderstand something, Yabuki. I don't exactly enjoy your company. Sure, you saved me, but that's already over and done, isn't it? I'm sure you've already gotten compensation for your heroism. But remember that you're not here because I asked for you; you were hired by my father. He's the one that signs your paychecks, all so he can keep an eye on one of his investments—me. That's where you come in. You're really nothing more than a guard dog he bought for me. So long as you stay in your place, we should be just fine." **

_Blunt and bitchy. Just my luck. _He decided that he was liked her lesser by the minute. He had to hand it to her, though; she was painfully honest. Painful, in the sense that it was already killing him that he can't hit a girl, much less a rich one—even more so that she's his boss's daughter. _Which reminds me… _**"Okay, damn, I get it. So when do I get to meet your old man? He's my boss, isn't he?" **

Juri resumed eating, her gaze now totally focused on the plate of scrambled eggs in front of her. **"Don't count on it," **she said, not sparing him so much as a glance. **"He's a busy man. He rarely shows his face around here unless it's urgent." **

Hayato nodded and began working on his rice. They ate in silence, but he didn't really care. His ears were starting to get worn out by hearing her talk. Soon enough, he finished. Sitting back on the couch, he pulled out the Blackberry and began perusing through the calendar. **"What do you do for a living anyway? You've got a bunch of appointments with cops, lawyers, bail bonds people…oh, and it says here that you need to pick up pictures at some photo shop at 1:30 pm." **

"**I'm a private investigator. And you need to go pick up those pictures. I've got too much shit to do." **Finishing the last of her breakfast, she wiped her mouth with a linen napkin and got up to head to where Hayato suspected was her room. **"Everything you need is on that phone. Figure it out because I've no time to explain it to you." **

She left without even touching a single used plate, leaving Hayato to clean it all up. When he finally thought that she disappeared, he looked back up to see the back of her head and flipped her off, mouthing off profanities the whole time.

"**Oh, and Yabuki?" **

Quickly, he put his hand behind his head as if he'd been scratching that place for quite a while. **"Hmm?" **

"**Be careful with the pictures. And please, try not to get too excited."**

* * *

><p><strong>~1:30 p.m~<strong>

Since she retreated into her room after breakfast that morning, Hayato had been by himself so he decided to kill time by watching TV. For a moment, he contemplated doing the dishes, but the hotel's housekeeping came by anyway and took care of everything. By the time the phone rang to remind him of the pick up, it didn't seem like Juri was coming out of her room anytime soon so he decided to leave her be and go on his way.

Sure enough, the address of the photo shop was listed in the Blackberry. Located all the way in Ikebukuro, Hayato just knew that it was going to be another late night for him. A part of him contemplated not going back to the hotel, but after remembering his earlier conversation with Juri, it just didn't seem like a good idea anymore. As much as he hated to admit it, her family pretty much had him by the balls. One wrong move and who knows what kind of misery Kamiya would rain down on him? It didn't help at all that he didn't know the face of the man behind the money, and of course, the head case of a daughter. Hayato sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. Just thinking about his current situation irked him. _Of all people, why the hell does it have to be me?_

He continued his mental grumbling as he walked to the photo shop. As he opened the door, a small ball sounded overheard, alerting whoever was watching the store. Instantly, a tall, tanned young man emerged from the back. **"Welcome—eh, Hayato? Is that you?" **

It took him no time at all to recognize his fellow Kurogin graduate. **"Tsuchi? What are you doing here?" **

Tsuchiya Hikaru whipped out his trademark fan and leaned forward against a glass cases containing vintage cameras in front of him. **"A co-worker asked me to fill in just for the day. I'll be back in Shibuya tomorrow for a film session." **

_Oh, that's right, he's a cameraman now. _Proud as he was of his friend, he couldn't help but envy him a bit. Tsuchi found his niche quickly, and he imagined his other ex-classmates did as well. He couldn't help but wonder if he was the only one with such unstable employment. **"Ah, I see. Well, I just came here all the way from Shibuya to pick something up. I gotta be back there by tonight, though."**

Tsuchi's brow furrowed in confusion. **"Coming all the way here to pick up a photo order? That's pretty sketchy. What, are you having an affair with an older woman or something?" **he said jokingly.

Hayato hadn't considered what the pictures were until he remembered Juri's last piece of advice before he left. _"Try not to get to excited", she says. _What could possibly be in those pictures that might get him excited? _Could it be….? _He wondered as a torrent of risqué images invaded his mind. **"Wait, what? No!" **he said, almost defensively, shaking his head. **"It's for my boss's daughter. Look, just get the damn pictures for me, okay? Geez, taking up too much of my time…" **

His classmate let out a laugh, but nodded in compliance. **"Alright, man, calm down. So what's the name?" **

He was just about to say Kamiya when the Blackberry vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, he saw that it was a text from Juri. _It's under Ageha. Don't mention my name_, it said. Hayato squinted at the glowing screen, puzzled. _First of all, how did she know I'd already be here? _He thought, instinctively looking around for any sign of her. It was impossible and it was probably just a tactic just to psych him out, but he really couldn't help but wonder. Perhaps Juri Kamiya was a whole new breed of psychobitch. _Or could it be work-related? _

By the time he looked up at Tsuchi, his friend was looking back at him, expectantly waiting for a reply. **"Um…you got something under Ageha?"**

The tanned young man pursed his lips for a moment, and then nodded. **"As a matter of fact, I do. Hold on a minute." **He ducked underneath the counter and began rummaging through a shelf down there. **"The owner mentioned them before he left. Apparently, they're all just negatives, never been developed. Ah, here they are." **

Tsuchi reemerged with a large manila envelope in his hand. As he handed it to Hayato, he couldn't help but finally notice the creased-but-still-classy suit. Nodding towards his outfit, he asked, **"Did you get a new job or is this just a temporary gig?"**

Hayato's lips quirked into a small smile. Leave it to the tall bastard to be perceptive when he least expected it. **"It's temporary. I'm gonna be a bodyguard for the next six months. I should be able to land a permanent job after that." **

His ex-classmate's eyes widened in admiration and approval. **"That's great! Take care not to get fired on your first day, alright?" **he chuckled, knowing of his friend's tendencies and habits.

"**Alright, I'll remember that. See you around, Tsuchi." **

With a wave of a hand, Hayato walked back out of the photo shop. The bell over the door rang again, tinkling to inform of his departure. He kept walking until he reached the next block and turned, hunting for a good place to eat. He was starving and, with what little money he had left, he had to stretch it out to cover his food and transportation costs. _Note to self: Get Juri to pay for my shit. This is too much!_

The envelope weighed heavily on his hand and for a moment, he was curious to see what those negatives contained. The more he looked at the envelope, the more he forgot about his hunger. Now it was just bugging him, how he didn't know exactly what he was carrying. Finally, succumbing into his own nagging curiosity, he unlatched the small metal clasp. As he walked, he dipped a hand into the envelope and prepared to pull out one of the negatives when—

_Crash! _

The impact took him by surprise. He heard a small squeal and the envelope flew out of his hand, scattering the negatives all over the sidewalk. And at his feet was a girl on her knees, hastily gathering up the negatives as she apologized profusely. But that wasn't why Hayato was openly gawking at her.

Low-cut black tank top. And he was so sure that the small bit of lace peeking out had to be one of those miraculous things called push-up bras. In her case, were they even necessary? He didn't really think it mattered. From his vantage point, sitting up, he had the view that practically any man would kill for. Those perfect mounds of flesh…he just knew those had to be Ds, if not Cs, at least. And those jeans…awfully tight, aren't they? Strange, because he was so sure that the girl was petite in stature. But those _curves…_

"**I'm so sorry! I-I wasn't looking, but I swear I didn't mean to knock you over!"**

When her apologies finally reached his ears, he finally snapped back to reality. **"Oh—um, that's okay…really, don't worry about it…" **

He reached over to help her put the negatives back into the envelope when their hands brushed against each other briefly. At this, the girl looked up at him through her eyelashes and smiled demurely, then went back to the task at hand. Once they were finished, Hayato helped her up and both of them began to dust themselves.

"**I'm really sorry…I don't know what came over me! Hunger must be getting to my head." **She smiled sheepishly, and Hayato noticed those rose petal lips split open to reveal small, white teeth. He stood a good couple of inches taller than her and she looked up at him, her eyes wide and seemingly sincere. **"I must have messed up some of your negatives. Please…is there any way I can make it up to you?" **

_Yeah, how about you help me pick my jaw up off the ground? _After everything that's happened to him, he couldn't help but wonder if he was actually awake at the moment. He actually found a girl that didn't need to be rescued, didn't have any injuries and certainly didn't start a psych ward rebellion. And to top it all off, she had a killer body and she seemed fairly sweet. And that smile…had Juri ever smiled like that? Probably not. Not while he was around anyway. Even if she did, she'd probably say something that would crush the whole idea of it altogether. _Wait a minute, why the hell am I thinking about her at a time like this? _

Finding his tongue again, he began to speak but nothing intelligible came out other than, "**Um…"**

"**Oh, I know!" **said the girl, clasping her hands together expectantly. **"I was just heading out to lunch. Would you like to join me? Don't worry, it's my treat." **

His face broke into such a huge smile that it might have split into two. **"I mean, if you insist…" **he said, still grinning like an idiot. Then he remembered something. **"Ah, I haven't introduced myself! My name's Hayato, by the way. Yabuki Hayato." **

She nodded, making the most mundane gesture so painfully cute. At least it was in Hayato's eyes anyway. He barely blinked since she started talking. It was all he could do to keep his gaze from wandering to other obvious places. **"Pleased to meet you, Hayato-kun. I'm Misaki. Honjo Misaki. Now, shall we? There's a nice Chinese restaurant just a block from here. Good prices, too." **

Tucking the envelope under his arm, he nodded and followed Misaki, thanking the gods above for his wonderful fortune. What were the odds that he would bump into a cute girl with a nice rack and get asked out for lunch? _Crazy. Totally insane. _But perhaps things were finally looking up. If he hit it off with this girl, his new employment just might be bearable.

As he walked with her, he stole a peek at the time on the Blackberry. It was only 2 p.m. Still plenty of time to do a lot of things. _Alright, Hayato. Work your magic. You got this!_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Note:<em>**

**_Anybody notice the Hunger Games reference? :D_**

**_Oh and guys, there's an error on Hayato's monthly salary._**

**_It's *600,000 yen! O.o Big numbers..._**

**_Thank you, _En ar Ciel**, **for pointing that out to me~~**


	10. Because temptations get you sidetracked

**Chapter 10 (Because temptations get you sidetracked)**

Parked right across the street from the photo shop is a black sedan, its windows so heavily tinted that not a single soul outside could see into the vehicle. The same couldn't be said for the occupants inside; they had a clear view of everything. The man sitting in the driver's seat was proof of that. Even through his Armani sunglasses, his vision of the world past the tinted car windows was still perfect. He'd been sitting in that car for a while now, his gaze intent on the door of the photo shop. The small establishment had very few customers, and they all left the place carrying the same plastic bag bearing the shop's logo. He couldn't care less about branding, much less the bags; he was waiting for something else. After four customers or so, he was just about to leave when a young man in a rumpled suit walked in. The man in the black sedan then decided to put the car back in park and waited patiently for the young man to walk back out.

His eyes never left the photo shop's door until he heard a yawn coming from behind him. In the back seat lay a little boy, eyes slightly fluttering open. Carefully, he pushed himself up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with his tiny fists. **"Papa? Why aren't we leaving yet?" **

"**Patience, Shiro. We'll be done in a moment, I promise," **he said, turning his attention back on the door.

But the child wasn't satisfied with the answer. Instead, he reached over, his small hand landing on his father's broad shoulder to give him a gentle shake. **"You said that a couple of minutes ago too. Can we leave already? I wanna see her." **

"**Not right now, okay? We'll get there later, but right now, Papa is busy. Go back to sleep." **His curt and clipped reply did the trick, because after a few seconds of pouting, Shiro was slumped back in the backseat, dreaming of finally getting to their destination.

The man with the sunglasses kept his gaze trained on the door until it swung open again. Instead of the bags he'd seen earlier that day, the young man in the rumpled suit exited with a manila envelope in his possession. At the sight of it, his eyebrows shot up in recognition. **"Well done," **he whispered, nodding approvingly.

He continued to watch the young man until he disappeared from his view. All he wanted to see was a successful retrieval without the interruption of any outside variables, and now that that was over with, he could say that his job was also done. As he put the car in drive, the little boy in the back seat sprang up and hopped into the front passenger seat. Giving his father a cheeky smile, he strapped himself in and began tapping impatiently on the seat's leather upholstery. **"C'mon, Papa. Let's go!" **

He shook his head in amusement and stepped on the gas pedal. It would be a pleasant surprise to just randomly show up at her place, but he figured she wouldn't feel the same way about him. Her love and fondness might only extend as far as his son; he, on the other hand, would have to get by with whatever meager feelings she had for him. _I might as well be trying to charm an alligator, _he thought. Nevertheless, he needed her. His career depended on it. If all it took was a bit of ass-kissing to help his cause, then so be it.

* * *

><p>Lunch ran a lot longer than he expected, but that was just fine. For the first time in a long time, he felt at ease, relaxed. As planned, he and his new acquaintance went to a Chinese restaurant and gorged themselves till they were full. As promised, the girl insisted on picking up the bill, much to Hayato's embarrassment. <strong>"You really didn't have to, Misaki-chan. I could've at least paid half of it." <strong>

But the girl only waved away the suggestion. **"Oh, don't be silly. I said I'd make it up to you, didn't I? Besides…" **She reached for her drink, lips closing delicately around the straw. Looking up at him through half-lidded eyes, she began to smirk. **"…maybe you can treat me to something someday, too. Make it up to me…if you'd like, I can give you a few suggestions."**

Was it just his imagination, or did her voice just get sultrier? It might just be the couple beers he had due to her urging, but it was severely affecting his hearing. They weren't sitting that close to each other, but her voice created delightful little vibrations in his ears and in his head, not to mention a couple other places that he dared not think about at this point. It didn't help his case at all that she was leaning forward, that rack of hers fully resting on the table as if they were on display. _Damn it, Hayato, get a hold of yourself! Focus. You'd look like a fucking creep if you don't._

With much difficulty, he dragged his gaze away from her and checked the Blackberry. Seeing as there were no texts from Juri, he checked the time and it was already 9:45 p.m. How fast time had flown. He wondered for a moment if he had to be home at a certain time, but then pushed the thought away from his head. _I may work for her, but she doesn't own me. And I'll be damned if I don't let her know that now. _

"**Hayato-kun?" **

The Kurogin grad snapped out of his thoughts and turned to the lovely Misaki, only to be met by the curiosity in her eyes. **"Yes?"**

"**Do you have a girlfriend?" **

His brow furrowed for a moment, puzzled as to why she would ask such a question. Did he seem like a guy who had a girlfriend? Then he remembered that he was still holding the phone in his hand. Quickly, he put it away and apologized to his companion. **"No, I'm too busy with work. What about you, do you have one? A boyfriend, I mean." **

Misaki chuckled and shook her head. **"I haven't had the good fortune to meet someone I actually like. But who knows…" **she gave him yet another one of those upward glances through her lashes that practically made him go insane and smiled, **"…that might have changed now. What do you think, Hayato-kun?"**

He gulped a bit, fingers reaching up to loosen his tie. Was it just him or did it get hotter? He wasn't certain of anything anymore. Taking his drink, he took a sip of it in order to cool himself down, but seeing as it was beer, it didn't help with anything. Moreover, it just made things worse. Now he just wanted to squirm out of his clothes, even for just a little bit. He glanced at Misaki, her cleavage still hanging out on the table like a pair of giant steamed buns. **"I—uh, I'm not really at liberty to say. Erm…"**

She must have scooted closer to him because by the time he finished wiping the sweat on his brow with his sleeve, she was right next to him. He could smell her perfume, the shampoo in her hair, the soap on her skin. She smelled intoxicating, dizzying, and he knew that new feeling of plump softness now resting on his arm wasn't his imagination at work anymore. Out of respect, he would have loved to just inch away, even just a little bit, but she made it impossible by looping an arm around his and keeping him rooted on the spot. She looked at him expectantly, eyes urging him to answer the question at hand. Taking a deep breath, Hayato finally brought himself to speak. **"Um…well, that's all up to you, Misaki-chan. After all, it's not my heart we're talking about; it's yours. So do whatever you please. I'm sure whatever it is, you'll definitely deserve it."**

_Oh, Hayato, you smooth bastard, you, _he thought, mentally congratulating himself on his perfect delivery. He didn't think he had it in him; with the exception of his younger brother, Yabuki men weren't exactly suave in terms of their skill with women. They were brash, coarse and awkward; even Hayato couldn't believe his father's luck in reeling in such a beautiful woman like his mother, and yet here he was, the actual living proof of it. _Thank you, genetics. You definitely saved my ass this time. _

Misaki must have been impressed too because her eyes lit up and her usual smirk turned into a full-blow smile—full of promise and joy, at least that's what it looked to Hayato anyway. Then her eyes raked over his physique, starting with his hair down to his trousers and eventually settled on his lips. **"Whatever I please, huh…?" **she said, fingers expertly looping around his and playing with them. **"Well then, Hayato-kun, will you grant me just one request? At least this way we can call it even. No strings attached, promise."**

Hayato swallowed hard and nodded, his head going crazy with a million different scenarios on how this was going to go down. Only when she tilted her head and whispered in his ear did his wildest fantasies finally come to life. When she brushed her lips against his ear, he knew he was done for. Now all he had to do was accept her extended hand and let her lead him to places he'd never been before.

* * *

><p>Since Hayato left that morning, Juri had been working nonstop. Now, at midnight, she was still typing away relentlessly at her laptop trying to decrypt the information on a flash drive she acquired a couple days ago. Stripped down to its most basic components, the flash drive was a tiny slab of metal and microchip, about a centimeter or less in width. Despite its small and insignificant appearance, the information it held had the power to bring down a drug cartel that had surfaced in Japan recently—at least, that's what her father thought anyway. Juri was just following orders. Her job was simply to find out as much as she can about them—specifically speaking, information that would actually hold up in court. Her father was so intent on putting the bastards away that he'd even risk his own daughter's life, which didn't really bother her. It was the only way she could make a living and in their family, that kind of interaction was the only way they could communicate with each other.<p>

It all started on the night her father gave her a tip on the whereabouts of one of the cartel's operatives who might hold some of the information they wanted. With a combination of manipulation, lying and practically stalking, Juri managed to get close to the cartel operative and download all the files in his phone into the small flash drive. She thought it was going to be a clean retrieval; however, one of his subordinates must have noticed because they sent three of their new recruits to go after her and take back the flash drive, to which Juri reacted to by swallowing the thing. After an hour or so of running, she was finally cornered and pretty much had her ass handed to her. The fact that she was drunk didn't help her case either, and for a moment there, she really thought she was done for.

Just when she thought that the flash drive would be forever lost in her digestive system, someone saved her. That someone was Hayato, and if it weren't for him, she would have lost her job—not to mention her life—forever. Truly, she was grateful to him; however, that didn't mean that he could just run around during whatever he wanted. With every glance she threw at the time on her laptop, she grew more and more annoyed. _Where the hell is he with my damn pictures? _

She was halfway asleep already but her anger must have done something to wake her because she ended up finishing her work anyway. With the flash drive fully decrypted, it was clear to see that what she now had in front of her were addresses to various drop-off-and-pick-up locations all over Japan and America. Juri now had something to show her father. As for the pictures, she decided to finally sleep and wait for Hayato to come home. _I'll deal with the bastard as soon as he steps through the door. Where can he be at this time anyway? _


	11. Because they just looked too perfect

**Chapter 11 (Because they just looked too perfect)**

Instead of heading straight to their destination, the man in the black sedan and his son decided to spend the night at a hotel and wait till morning to continue with their journey. Despite his protests and pouting, the little boy named Shiro decided to behave, lest his father changes his mind again. He didn't want any more interruptions; he just wanted to see her already. And so he waited for sunlight to come and as soon as the first light of dawn broke through, he woke his father up immediately, demanding that they get back into the car and leave the hotel at once.

Complying to his son's request, the man was finally up as early as 5 a.m. Though it was a struggle to look presentable, he finally managed it and soon enough, he and Shiro arrived in front of her hotel. As soon as the car was parked, the little boy ran inside, only to have his father go after him in pursuit. **"Shiro!" **he said, grabbing his son by the arm as soon as he caught up with him. **"Will you slow down? You can't go charging in like that. What if somebody hit you?" **

But the little boy merely waved his words away. **"It'll be alright, Papa. Besides, I've been waiting for too long now. Can we just go see her already?" **

The man sighed, taking his son's small hand in his and leading him towards the elevator. Pushing the button to the top floor, the contraption shot its way up and soon enough, the two of them were walking towards her room. 'Room' was probably an inadequate word for it because save for the single corridor that led to the elevator, the penthouse pretty much covered the whole expanse of the entire floor. As soon as they got to her door, Shiro knocked on it eagerly, his face lit up with a smile as he waited for her to open. After a couple minutes or so, the door finally swung open and Shiro took no time at all to launch himself at her, his small arms wrapping tightly around her waist.

Behind him, his father tried his best to smile at the messy-haired, pajama-clad girl that his son was now hugging. Just when he was about to say something, Juri beat him to the punch. **"Oh dear God…Ichiro, what the hell are you doing here?"**

* * *

><p>He just couldn't believe his luck. First he met Misaki Honjou—22-years-old, gorgeous and conveniently single; then she bought him lunch and paid for the drinks they had right after; and now here she was, lying comfortably next to him, devoid of any clothing underneath the sheets. Hayato had never been one of one-night stands, but who was he to refuse when a girl like her practically offered herself to him on a silver platter? He just couldn't refuse and he was glad that he didn't. Still, he couldn't help but feel a single nagging thought at the back of his head. He had yet to deliver the negatives to Juri. Was she still working, he wondered? Would she be mad at him for coming home so late? Then again, it wasn't like she actually gave him a time limit; she just told him to go pick them up for her. Tilting his head to the side, he saw the manila envelope sitting on Misaki's dresser where he left them last night. It seemed intact, and he figured all would be just fine. Ultimately, it was the end result that mattered, right?<p>

Carefully, he got up off the bed so as not to disturb the sleeping Misaki. He picked up his clothes off the floor and began to get dressed when a manicured hand reached around from behind him and settled on his thigh, close to his groin. He couldn't help but smile as he felt her squirm around till she was sitting behind him. **"You're not staying for breakfast?" **she whispered in his ear.

Hayato smiled at her and shook his head apologetically. **"Sorry, Misaki-chan, but I have to go now. My boss might already be mad at me, you know?" **

Her lips formed a pale pink pout as her hands roved over his zipper suggestively. **"Ah, I see. Your job comes first. How unfortunate." **

As much as he would have loved to get back under the sheets with her, Hayato knew that he'd be in more trouble if he didn't deliver the negatives to Juri. Hell, she was probably furious already. _I'll figure out a way to deal with her, _he thought, gently taking Misaki's hands and removing them from his crotch. **"Don't worry, you come in a close second. I promise I'll call you later, alright?"**

His word must have been good enough for her because she smiled and settled back onto the bed. **"I'll be waiting," **she said, and went back to sleep.

Grabbing the manila envelope, Hayato left her apartment and dropped by a nearby bakery along the way. It was a cute little place that sold the kind of cakes girls loved and he figured it would make a nice appeasement gift to Juri—provided, of course, that she wasn't too much of a monster to refuse an adorable cake. Upon purchasing one of their delectable confections, he prayed that it would somehow make her less mad, because something told him happy would be too strong a word for her.

One cab ride later, he finally arrived back to the hotel and made his way up to the penthouse carrying the cake box in his hands and the manila envelope tucked underneath an arm. He took a deep breath and knocked at the door with his foot, hoping she wouldn't attack him as soon as it opened. Hayato stood there for about a good couple minutes until the knob turned and gave way, only to reveal…

…a small child.

He blinked once, twice, at the innocent pair of eyes looking up at him in return. Did he knock at the wrong door? Or was it possible that there were two penthouses in the hotel? Because there was no way that in the sane world that he lived in, someone like Juri could ever have visitors, much less those who haven't even reached puberty by the looks of it. **"Um…kid, are you lost?" **he asked awkwardly.

For some reason, that never seems to register with the kid. **"No, mister. Are you?" **

Before he could say anything else, another voice emerged from inside the penthouse—not Juri's, but a different one this time. **"Shiro? Who's at the door?" **

It was a man's voice, deep and commanding attention. By the time the source of it came to the door, Hayato had to admit that it far exceeded his expectations. Not only was he clad in one of those no-nonsense suits, he was tall and admittedly, he was ne handsome bastard. Upon seeing Hayato, the man gave him a once-over and, once he saw the manila envelope, stood aside to let him in. **"Juri! Your errand boy's here!" **

He stiffened at the newly bestowed title, but what could he do? Take a swing at the guy while his son was in front of him? He assumed that was his son anyway since they did sort of look alike. But still…the way that man addressed Juri as if they'd known each other for a long time. Even her beloved bodyguard addressed her with an honorific at times, but this guy didn't even bother with it. Hayato eased his way through the door and walked inside, only to have the child brush by him as he ran for the living room. Behind him, he couldn't help but look back at the man in the suit who already shut the door and was headed in the same direction as Hayato. The Kurogin graduate wondered what those two could be doing in Juri's lair. _Could it be….? _The idea that formed in his head seemed absurd, but was it really that impossible? After all, the two seemed like they'd be a perfect match since they held that elitist air to some degree. The kid could be their elitist spawn, just waiting to screw over the masses once he grows up…

Finally, he arrived to the living room, only to see the strangest sight on the planet—Juri, cuddled up on the couch with the child named Shiro, watching cartoons. But that wasn't all. Oh no…even her face looked different. Something around the mouth looked as if it's never been there before. Dimples. _No way…_ If he hadn't heard the distinct sound of laughter, he never would've believed what he was seeing. Kamiya Juri was actually _smiling. _

It was like seeing dogs walk on their hind legs. Who would've thought it was possible? However, his presence cut the rare moment short. Juri turned to him, the dimples from before quickly disappearing in favor of her trademark raised eyebrow bitch arc. **"Nice of you to grace us with your presence, Yabuki. And here I thought I'd already seen the last of you," **she said, her voice dripping sarcasm.

Hayato fought the urge to throw the manila envelope at her face. Instead, he forced a strained smile and walked over to the coffee table to set the cake box and the envelope down. **"I, uh…met up with an old friend. But hey, look! He gave me cake." **

Of course he wouldn't tell her what went down the other night. How awkward would that be? And with the husband and child around, too. At least, that's what he assumed they were to her anyway. His suspicions were confirmed when the suited man took his place beside his son and there they were—the perfect picture of a family. Somehow, the scene made him feel out of place so he cleared his throat and tugged at his collar. **"Ahem," **he coughed, his eyes already darting towards the nearest exit. At least that got her attention because Juri was now looking at him with an annoyed expression on her face. **"I'm sorry, but should I go now? I don't wanna barge in on your visitation day or whatever…" **

"**Yabuki, what the hell are you babbling about? You just got here." **Juri got up, leaving Shiro's side and stood before Hayato, arms crossed as she stared him down. **"You do remember your contract, don't you?" **

Behind her, the kid was still engrossed with his cartoons but he could've sworn he saw the father smirk. _Bastard, _he thought, trying his hardest to focus on Juri. **"Yeah I remember, but your son's here and I don't want to…"**

"**Wait. Pardon me?"**

_Is she deaf? _He wondered. Hayato repeated what he just said, this time in a louder voice, but Juri interrupted him again. **"My son? You think Shiro's mine?" **

The suited man snorted out a laugh, obviously amused by the idea. **"And I suppose you think I'm her husband?" **he said, keeping a straight face that eventually gave way to more chuckling. **"Oh man…wait till Dad hears about this." **

Juri looked back at him, face slightly contorted in disgust. **"Ichiro…that's disgusting. Although I really wouldn't mind Shiro. I'd take him over you any day."**

Turning back to Hayato, she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. **"Look, Yabuki, just for the record, I've never been pregnant, never been married and I don't plan on doing those things on my own accord anytime soon. Do you understand now?"**

Hayato nodded slowly, still trying to recover from the previous flub. **"Okay, but….who are they?"**

"**My brother and my nephew."**

"**Oh."**

Somehow, leaving Misaki's place didn't seem like such a good idea anymore. If anything, he just wanted to go back there and crawl under the covers and pretend as if nothing happened.


	12. Because mistakes happen so rarely

**Chapter 12 (Because mistakes happen so rarely)**

It was no secret that Juri had never been a fan of him; Ichiro knew at least that much about her. Their relationship since they were children had been a strained one. Contrary to popular belief, the Kamiya family had more skeletons in their closet than they cared to admit and one of them was an affair that his father, Kamiya Ryuuji, had with a much younger, half-Russian woman back in the day. Ichiro, who—at ten— was still too young to understand why his parents were constantly fighting, finally got a better view of things when his father came home from work one night, bearing a small, delicate bundle in his arms. It was strange because first of all, his father rarely ever came home, and when he did, he always seemed too tired to talk to anyone. However, that particular night was different. Without a word to anyone else, not even to his own son, he went straight to Ichiro's mother. It must have been a rather serious matter because the adults closed the door and locked it, taking great care that no other ears save for their own could hear their conversation. Ten-year-old Ichiro was so curious that he stood by the door, waiting for either parent to emerge. Somehow, he figured it all had something to do with the little bundle his father was carrying…

A few minutes later and his father emerged from the room, with Ichiro's mother right at his heels. Now she was carrying the little bundle, but this time, it was making a loud, annoying noise. It was crying. Tugging at his mother's skirts, Ichiro couldn't help but ask, **"Mom, what's that?" **

Kind and gracious as ever, Kamiya Tomoko rocked the bundle gently, back and forth, back and forth, all the while smiling at her young son. **"You mean 'who'. Would you like to take a look at her?" **

Ichiro nodded. He followed his mother to a nearby couch as she continued to rock back and forth in order to stop the crying. A few minutes later and the little bundle calmed down, her dark eyes darting from his face to his mother's and back again. Ichiro smiled, immediately deciding that she was probably the cutest baby he'd ever seen. **"Mom, who is she?" **he asked.

**"Her name is Juri. She's your new sister." **

For the last ten years, Ichiro had been an only child, so the idea of having another kid in the house made him happy. He became an _onii-chan _right then and there. Now he could join the ranks of the other big brothers in his class. It was a proud moment for him, one that would've been better if he had gotten to hold her. However, as he reached out to touch her, she started crying all over again.

She never did like being around him.

Now, as he sat on her couch in her home, it didn't surprise him at all that she'd choose his own son over him. Oh, how she doted on Shiro. A bittersweet smile crossed his face, remembering how he used to be when she was little. He would've done anything for his little sister. The only problem was that they all had to be done subtly, and to this day, all of the attention he showered upon her have gone unnoticed.

Not that he had a problem with it anyway, since he never expected Juri to reciprocate. It was already hard enough trying to elicit an emotional response out of his younger sister. However, with the arrival of the errand-boy, he could see that things were bound to get interesting. Ichiro couldn't help but laugh at his previous statement. **"Her husband? Oh, that's rich," **he said, shaking his head in sheer amusement. **"Look, kid, even if we weren't related, I still wouldn't marry her. Or have a child with her. She's not exactly wifey material, you know? I mean, just look at her. No offense, sis." **

Juri, in her pajamas and messy hair in a bun, shrugged apathetically. **"None taken. Besides, why do I need to have a kid?" **She looked back, giving one of her rare smiles as she settled back on the couch again and wrapped her arms around Shiro. **"He can be my baby. Right, Shiro?" **

The little boy nodded animatedly, obviously liking the idea as he hugged her back. **"Yeah! Dad, can I move in with Aunt Juri?" **

Ichiro shook his head, ruffling his son's hair. **"Grow a couple more inches and maybe I'll consider it." **

Only whenever Shiro was around did Juri allow herself to get sidetracked from her work. If she was dealing with just another mundane case, he probably would've let the distraction go; however, they were on quite a tight schedule. He needed information that only Juri could get, and he needed her to focus on her job at the moment. And so, reaching for the remote, he turned off the TV, eliciting a disappointed groan from Shiro. **"Aw, Dad, why'd you do that? We were getting to the best part too." **

** "You can watch the rest of it in your room," **he said strictly. **"But for now, the adults need to talk and you need to make yourself scarce. Now get." **

Pouting, the boy complied with his father's request. Even Juri was pouting. By the time Shiro entered the guest room and shut the door behind him, his younger sister openly glared daggers at him. **"I don't even get to see him all that much. You suck."**

Ichiro rolled his eyes and sighed. Even as a kid, she'd always been like that. Take away something she loved and she'll hate the person who took her favorite thing away from her. **"Well, you can get over it. Right now, we've got work to do."**

* * *

><p>Unbelievable. All it took was the presence of one kid to change the atmosphere in the penthouse. One moment, Juri was sweet. She was smiling and for a minute there, she looked human. Then after the kid left, she was back to her old self again—bitchy, demeaning and difficult. Hayato tried to imagine the Kamiya household with those two siblings as children and found it almost impossible. <em>Family dinners must be hell to go through, <em>he thought, silently thanking his lucky stars that he came from an ordinary family.

As the child was dismissed to his room, Ichiro then proceeded to scan the contents of the manila envelope. **"So, Hayato-kun, how are you liking your new employer?" **he asked flippantly.

Hayato raised an eyebrow in disbelief. _Are you fucking kidding me? _**"It's, um…" **he cleared his throat, trying to find the right words to say. **"…it's pretty challenging." **

While Juri merely rolled her eyes, her brother chuckled in amusement. **"Already? And it's you're—what, third day on the job?" **he shook his head some more, the smile never quite leaving his face. **"God have mercy on you." **

_My thoughts exactly, _Hayato thought.

**"Well, as long as he does what he's told to do when he's told to do it, he should be just fine," **said Juri, looking pointedly at him. Tilting her head to one side, she continued to stare at him as if he were some kind of specimen underneath a microscope. **"You know, you still haven't explained why you came in late." **

Somehow, being scrutinized under her gaze made him want to fidget. For one thing, she barely blinked and that alone looked creepy as hell. _Aren't her eyes drying out right about now? _He wondered, his hand wandering up to loosen the tie he struggled with earlier that morning. She wanted an explanation? Fine. Hayato then cleared his throat and began talking. **"Like I said, I ran into a friend. We got to talking and the time just kind of flew by."**

Beside her, Ichiro was still sorting through the negatives. He didn't know what they looked like, or what purpose they were to serve, but he sure as hell seemed busy. Not like his sister, who seemed intent on interrogating the living crap out of him. Juri nodded in mock approval, arms crossed at her chest. **"I see…so you're sticking with that story?" **She scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief. **"You know I'm a PI, right? Sooner or later, I'll find out whatever it is you're hiding." **

**"I'm not hiding anything," **he said, trying to look every bit as honest as possible. Still, he couldn't doubt anything she said. _The girl can probably sniff out secrets—or fear—from miles away, _he thought, steeling himself as a back-up to his lie. _Gotta calm down…_

Juri continued to stare at him, her eyes practically burning holes on Hayato. **"Alright then. Just make sure that none of your extracurricular activities turn into a liability to my work. Otherwise, there will be hell to pay. Got it?" **

**"You got it, boss," **he replied with a thumbs-up and a cheeky smile. _Bitch. _

She wasted no more time glaring at him; instead, she turned her attention towards her brother, who now wore a puzzled expression on his face as he piled the negatives into three stacks. **"Hey, Juri, do you remember how many pictures you took? Exactly?" **

** "Twenty-seven at the resort, fifteen at the restaurant, and seven at the motel," **she rattled in a deadpan tone. **"Why?" **

Ichiro sighed, leaning back against the couch. A tired look crossed his face as he rubbed at his forehead in what looked like frustration. **"You must have messed up somewhere because you're missing about four."**

Hayato gulped. Four?_ No. No, that can't be right_. As far as he could remember, there wasn't even a slight breeze when he dropped the envelope as he left the photo shop. And as far as he knew, he and Misaki were a little too busy the other night to even look at the envelope. Well, it was mostly her doing all the work since she insisted, which was something he couldn't really complain about. Hell, she was good. A little too good, because as soon as they were done and he was happily spent, he drifted off into the best sleep he had in a long time...

_Oh no…_ he groaned mentally, hoping for his sake that maybe Juri was wrong.

However, she was dead set on proving that she wasn't. **"I rarely screw up, Ichiro, and it's never as bad as this," **she snapped, sorting the negatives all over again by herself. Unlike her brother, she worked quickly and methodically until the stacks were rearranged all over again.

From where he stood, even Hayato could hear her mumbling under her breath. Numbers, mostly, but he couldn't help but wonder if there was some sort of death curse randomly thrown in there somewhere.

"**You." **

At the sound of her sharp-toned voice, Hayato stiffened, eyebrows shooting up to attention that they almost disappeared past his hairline. **"Me?" **

"**Yes, imbecile. You're the only one who handled the envelope," **she snapped with impatience as she walked menacingly towards him. **"Now, I'm giving you one last chance to tell the truth or I destroy you and your family. Where the hell were you last night?"**

Hayato stared her down, racking his brains wildly for a valid explanation. Because he knew that the next words that come out of his mouth would either make him, or worse—break him.


	13. Because saints do exist

**Chapter 13 (Because saints do exist)**

Ichiro glanced at his sister from the corner of his eye as she rearranged the negatives again in order to disprove or validate his previous claim. However, he was right; Juri did mess up. Even with someone as meticulous as her, there was still a slim chance for error. Still, he knew it wasn't her fault. He also missed it. Although he'd been watching the photo shop on the day of the pick-up, he lost Hayato as he rounded a street corner. Even he couldn't be sure where the errand boy went after that. Obviously, someone else knew about the negatives. With the way they are now, all they had was more insufficient evidence. The four missing negatives were the ones to tie it all in and now there were gone. Three months' worth of work, down the drain. _Someone wants the case halted, _Ichiro thought. _Dad won't be pleased with this. _

**"Please sit down, Juri," **he said exasperatedly. **"We still need Hayato-kun. Besides, what are you going to do, beat a response out of him?" **

She was smaller compared to Hayato, but of course size never stopped her. She's picked fights with bigger people before. It wasn't that she craved victory, but rather, she just wanted to make them look stupid. However, they were playing a whole different ball game at this point. One wrong move and they could topple a whole investigation and have a losing case on their hands. And for the Kamiya family, losing was never an option.

Still seething, Juri paced back and forth restlessly. **"This is fucking absurd. You're telling me I tailed Kurose for months and now we have nothing to show for it?" **

Strangely enough, the mention of the politician's name sparked something in Hayato. **"Kurose? Wait a minute…isn't he the guy who got caught smuggling cocaine in statues or something?" **

** "Oh, you know current events. How impressive," **she replied, dripping with her trademark sarcasm. Juri exhaled sharply and walked towards the baby grand piano sitting on the other side of the living room. Lifting the lid over the keys, Ichiro thought she might start playing something but instead, she whipped out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

_Oh no, not this again_. She picked up the habit as a middle-school kid and since then, it's been hell trying to get her to stop altogether. **"Whatever happened to quitting?" **asked Ichiro.

**"Oh, fuck off. I'm stressed." **Armed with her lighter and pack, she closed the piano lid with a bang and headed off to her room. **"You guys figure this shit out. I need a break."**

Ichiro shook his head disapprovingly. Nevertheless, he couldn't be occupied with other concerns at the moment. She wants to smoke herself to death? Fine. But right now, he had more pressing matters to attend to. Turning to Hayato, he said, **"You'll have to excuse her…manners. Juri just hates making mistakes."**

** "Yeah, I can see that," **said the errand boy, glancing at Juri's back until she shut the door behind her. Then he looked back at her brother and said, **"Look, just for the record, I—"**

Ichiro held up a hand, cutting him of immediately. **"—didn't open it. I get it. I was there when you picked it up. I was watching you the whole time though I'm afraid I lost sight of you as soon as you left the shop." **

Hayato, who was now sitting on the armchair opposite him, looked a bit taken aback after his last statement. **"Um…that's a bit creepy. Watching me, I mean." **

The older Kamiya chuckled, shaking his head. **"Please, don't take it the wrong way. I just wanted things to go smoothly. It's a delicate matter we're handling, you see."**

"**Yeah, it had something to do with that Kurose guy. Why was Juri following him anyway?"**

For the first time since they met, Ichiro could see that Hayato actually paid attention. _So he isn't totally ignorant after all, _he thought, smirking ever so slightly. Shinichi-san chose well. However, he wasn't quite sure if he should let him in on their current situation. Too much depended on it—the case, his career, his father's career, and hell, maybe even Juri's too. God knows how many laws she's broken just trying to take those pictures. Still, something told him that Hayato would be of use to them.

"**Kurose was a smuggler. That was how he generated money for his campaign." **Ichiro spent many a night poring tirelessly over the case. What started out as a mere file for divorce and an oddly-timed adoption of a kid in China turned out to be so much more than they expected. **"A few days prior to his arrest, his wife filed for divorce. Another lawyer in my father's firm handled it and it went smoothly. Since the man was in jail, she took more than half his property. Then after that, she decided to adopt a Chinese kid. Not an infant, mind you. The kid was probably around thirteen or so."**

Hayato drank in his every word, his eyes never leaving his face. **"So what's wrong with that? She probably just didn't want to change diapers." **

Ichiro shook his head. **"That's not the strange part. You see, once the adoption papers went through, this kid immediately had a godfather. One of Kurose's politician friends, Atsushi Jinno. That man flew the kid all the way from China on his private jet. He treated the kid like family on sight."**

"**So?" **The errand-boy still didn't seem to be getting the point. **"Good for the kid. Now he's got family here in Japan."**

Once again, the older Kamiya shook his head. **"You don't understand. There have been reports that the Chinese Triads are now using kids to be drug runners. And the fact that he was flown in private means that they don't have to go through customs and the like. And looking at Kurose's track record, well…"**

"**You think his wife knew about the cocaine, was part of the business, and now she's trying to get it back up on its feet by adopting a Chinese drug runner and her accomplice is the kid's godfather-slash-her-ex-husband's friend?"**

Stripped down to its basic components, that was basically what it was. No flowery words, no lawyer articulation, just an average guy making sense of what was already in front of him. Perhaps Shinichi-san didn't just hire him based on his brawn. Perhaps there was a brain in there as well. **"Yes, that's exactly right."**

Hayato nodded, his face taking on a thoughtful expression. **"That still doesn't explain the pictures." **

"**Juri practically stalked all three of them. Kurose, his wife and Atsushi. Turns out, Kurose **_**and **_**his wife were sleeping with Atsushi." **

He couldn't believe it with his own ears when Juri first told him about it and he could see that it had the same effect on Hayato. **"Wait. I'm sorry. What?" **

Ichiro sighed deeply. Being an old-fashioned and conservative soul, such things were beyond his understanding. Not like Juri who had been extremely blunt about it as she explained the whole affair in great detail. **"Threesome. **_**Ménage a trois. **_**Three-way. The Golden Rule. Do you get what I'm saying?" **

Hayato shook his head vigorously as if to shake off the images in his mind. **"Yeah, yeah, I get the point. But really? Damn…that's just…"**

As he tried to come up with the right word to say, Ichiro continued on with his story. **"I don't know exactly what she had to do to get those pictures but Juri got them, alright. The four that we're missing must have been taken. That's why, Hayato-kun…" **He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees as he searched the errand-boy's for any trace of honesty, or cooperation to what he was about to ask of him. **"…you need to tell us where you were last night."**

* * *

><p>Rich people kept such ugly secrets. Why was it always the ones with all the cash they could ever want? The ones with the seemingly perfect lives? Did they just happen to be bored that they thought they wanted some kind of rush to validate their existence? <em>Crazy rich folk, <em>he thought, mentally shaking his head in disapproval. He'd never be able to understand what went on in their screwed-up, pampered little heads.

Hayato, who rarely took an interest in things, learned a lot more that day than he bargained for. First of all, there was Juri's smoking habit. At least now he knew where she hid her cigarettes and that she smoked only when she was stressed. Her brother seemed to want her to quit, but of course that bitch wouldn't listen to anyone. He wondered if she would listen to her old bodyguard. After all, he seemed to be the only one who had any control over her. _Hmm…I wonder if I'll get paid extra if I make her stop smoking, _he thought, already thinking of an amount so he could tell Shinichi-san next time he talked to the old man.

But that wasn't all. Ichiro offered a wealth of information that was probably only privy to members of the Kamiya family. Turns out, there was more to Yankumi's heroics when she caught that crooked politician. In his head, that was what set the whole thing in motion. He couldn't help but smile, feeling a bit of pride that he was taught by a spunky, albeit dorky, teacher.

And now Ichiro was asking him for a crucial tidbit of information. A few minutes ago, he wasn't quite sure how to answer, but now, speaking the truth seemed rather inevitable. It was necessary. He sighed, bracing himself for the worst as he began to tell Ichiro about the strange turn of events since he left the photo shop. By the time he was done, he wasn't sure what he should be more afraid of—Juri or the fact that the Kamiya family can ruin his, financially.

**"Don't worry about that anymore," **said Ichiro, reassuring him about the matters of his contract. **"I'll take care of it. Right now, what we need is your cooperation. Promise us that and I can talk to my father about paying off all of your family's debts."**

Hayato's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. Now he had a completely different view of Ichiro. At first, he thought he was an elitist bastard, but now… _he's a saint! _**"Hey, if you want my cooperation, you've got it. In fact, why don't I just work for you? Shinichi-san said I'd make an awesome temporary bodyguard".**

Get more money and have a nicer boss. Two birds, one stone. Unfortunately, Ichiro wasn't rising for the bait. Instead, the older Kamiya sibling just laughed and waved away his offer. **"My sister needs you more than I do. She may not look it, but she's accident-prone and she attracts trouble like magnet to metal." **

_Oh, I believe it, alright, _he thought, remembering how she raised hell back at the hospital. And before that, he had to save her from thugs who were out for her blood. After that encounter, plus hearing everything Ichiro had to say, he figured that there was nothing more that could surprise him.

**"I can't vouch for my sister, though. I honestly don't know how she'll react after hearing about your little tryst." **Ichiro sighed, sitting back on the couch with a calculating look on his face. **"I think…I think the best course of action to take would be to take her to that woman's place yourself." **

Hayato choked on his own breath for a minute. Did he hear him right? He wanted him to arrange a meeting between his boss and his one-night-stand? And at the other woman's place too? For some reason, he began to panic. It was going to be awkward as hell, and he was sure Juri wouldn't make anything easy for him. Not to mention, of course, that there was also the possibility that the bitch might actually assault the lovely Misaki. What was he going to do then if he was ever caught in the crossfire of a cat fight?

In the next couple seconds that passed, he was practically numb on the outside as he was too busy rummaging his head for any ideas to stop the worst possible scenario. The most he could muster was a mute nod as a sign of agreement, all the while thinking, _I am absolutely screwed._

* * *

><p><em><strong>EDITED. BecauseIScrewShitUp. .<strong>  
><em>

_**Gomenasai! T_T**_

_**on another note...reviews, pretty please?**_


	14. Because it blew up in their faces

**Chapter 14 (Because it blew up in their faces)**

Hayato felt a little ridiculous, padding around the penthouse on his bare feet like a ninja. Silence was key; even his two other companions, Shiro and Ichiro, swore to that. After Hayato gave him his word that he'd help find the missing negatives, Ichiro quietly collected his son to help further their cause. After all, he was the only person Juri truly liked. The child was the apple of her eye; she can't say no to him. 'Spoiled' was probably the right word for it, but as of the moment, neither of the older males really cared. Hayato just needed to get the job done and by the looks of it—if he was willing to use his son—Ichiro did, too. _Great minds think alike, _he thought, glancing at her door with trepidation as they drew closer and closer to it.

**"Steer clear of the doorway," **Ichiro whispered. If Hayato felt ridiculous, it was even worse just watching the man in the suit maneuver about. And he was totally serious, too, his face looking as if he was walking around land mines. **"If I'm correct, she's probably still got a six pack stashed in her closet and she'll be most likely drinking by the time we get in there. I repeat, stay away from the doorway. Unless, of course, you wanna take a full six pack to the face." **

Hayato shook his head, half out of disbelief and half out of dread. _Crazy bitch will probably throw anything within reach, _he thought, already imagining some kind of battle sequence straight out of 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'. _More like Crouching Juri, Hidden Beer Can. _

To his son, Ichiro said, **"Shiro, you know what to do." **

Nodding resolutely, the child plowed on ahead without Hayato or his father. The two older males stepped back, watching with anticipation as Shiro knocked on Juri's door. **"Auntie Juriiiiii….I'm boooored," **he whined. Childish, adorable, irresistible. **"I wanna play with you, so can I come in?"**

It worked like a charm. Soon enough, the door opened, but just enough to let the child through. As soon as it closed shut again, Ichiro pumped a fist in the air, obviously elated. **"And...she took the bait. Now, we wait."**

As the man in the suit stared at the door expectantly, Hayato couldn't help but shake his head in amusement. The plan seemed so rehearsed that it could only come from the frequency of practice. **"So how often do you guys do this anyway?" **he asked in a hushed tone. **"Looks like you and your kid already have a strategy worked out." **

A smile broke through Ichiro's once-serious countenance. **"Only when necessary, which is more than half the time. Trust me, it was a lot harder before Shiro was born. Thank God she's got a soft spot for babies." **Leaning in to Hayato, his voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. **"If you ask me, I think she secretly wants children. Unfortunately, she'll need a man to help her with that." **

He was quite the talker, but Hayato decided that he liked that about him. It was certainly better than the biting remarks Juri bestowed upon him since day one or the cold silence that she was used to. **"Good luck with that," **he scoffed, staring at the door with such intensity that could probably burn holes through the wood.

It was silent, save for the sound of their breathing and the hushed voices coming from Juri's room. Finally, the door opened once again, this time to reveal Shiro with a still-pissed Juri in tow. Ichiro was right; his sister was drinking. Stuck between two fingers was a cigarette sending tendrils of smoke to the ceiling and in that same hand, she held a beer can. Juri took a sip, her flashing eyes never leaving their faces as her free hand held on to Shiro's shoulder. To the boy, she said, **"Sweetheart, why don't you go down and watch TV for a bit? The adults and I need to have a talk, don't we?" **

Shiro looked up at her, eyes pleading as if to say, _"Please don't hurt Daddy. Or the nice man who brought you cake this morning." _At least that's what Hayato thought anyway. He must have been right because after a brief kiss to the kid's forehead, he was on his way and Juri seemed almost…amicable. Bearable. Human. Then she started talking again. **"Well, what the hell are you two still standing there for? Get in here. And shut the fucking door."**

_Should've known better, _Hayato thought sullenly. Sighing, her brother followed her back inside and Hayato did the same. He knew her much better than he did, after all. As he closed the door once they were all in, he couldn't help but marvel at Juri's room. For one girl, it was huge. It matched the rest of the penthouse in the sense that it looked like it came straight from a catalog. However, there was something amiss about it. What was it again…?

Juri must have noticed the odd look on his face. **"Is something the matter, Yabuki?" **

**"Yeah."** Then it finally came to him. The floor of her room seemed to be missing, considering how it was covered with a litter consisting of clothes, books, paper and just about everything else that ought to have a proper place. **"Where the hell did your floor go? 'Cause I sure as hell can't see it." **

Sitting at a bay window, Juri scowled at him, tapping out her ashes on a nearby ashtray. **"Shut up. I'm just waiting for the housekeeper to come by today." **To her brother, she said, **"You know, it's pretty dirty using Shiro like that." **

Feigning wide-eyed innocence, Ichiro took on his sister head-on the way only the people who knew her well enough can. **"Whatever do you mean, sis?" **

She rolled her eyes and focused on a new target. Hayato. **"You," **she snapped, crumpling the now-empty beer can in her hand. **"Get me some tequila. There ought to be some in the kitchen."**

Not only was she a smoker, but she was an alcoholic too, it seemed. _What the fuck have I gotten myself into, _he thought, his feet beginning to move towards the ordered destination anyway. Beside him, Ichiro obviously didn't like the idea of his sister drinking in broad daylight. **"Juri, if this is going to be a problem, then—"**

** "Oh, fuck off," **she said, scowling at her brother. **"I promised Shiro I'd be nice and listen to you guys. You expect me to do that sober?" **To Hayato, she said, **"You might wanna hurry along now, errand boy, if you plan on explaining everything to me before I pass out."**

* * *

><p>She was buzzed, just the way she liked it. Not giving a rat's ass about anything was magnified a thousand times, obvious in how she stumbled along the street till they reached Hayato's one-night-stand's home. The Other Woman, as Juri liked to call her, lived in a rather nice apartment complex. It wasn't like the upscale ones she was used to, but it was homey nonetheless. <strong>"Cute place," <strong>she remarked loudly, staggering inside past an old man who she almost knocked over.

Ichiro had already taken one of her arms around his shoulder, propping her weight against him as he guided her towards the elevator. Quickly, Hayato punched a button on the control panel, shut the door and soon enough, all three of them were zooming up to the fourth floor. All the while, Juri watched Hayato with a scrutinizing glare. **"Committed everything to memory, haven't you?" **she drawled, leaning her head against her brother's shoulder. **"What, did she give you head or something?" **

**"Juri!" **

That scolding tone could only belong to her frigid brother, to whom she could only turn to with a mischievous smirk on her lips. **"Oh, come on. I'm sure that wife of yours must have done something of the sort when she was still fond of you. How is she, by the way?" **

Ichiro closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose the way their father did when something frustrated him. Good. So she still hadn't lost her effect on him, after all. She did warn him about that woman. Shiro may have come from her, but Ichiro's ex-wife was no saint. Juri even took the liberty of warning him about her since they met, but he took no heed to her advice. Now it was simply her job to remind him of the consequences of not listening to her.

**"She's even worse than usual," **Hayato remarked, glancing back at them briefly. Due to her brother's intervention earlier, he seemed to have regained his backbone and now continued to speak with his usual bravado.

**"It's the tequila talking," **her brother answered on her behalf. **"I believe she's got the potential to be pleasant, if only she can be sober for a day or two." **

Juri glared at her brother, but her vision was starting to get a little hazy. She closed her eyes for a moment and by the time she opened them again, the elevator dinged, dropping them off on the fourth floor.

Jerking his head forward, Hayato proceeded to lead the way. **"This way. Last one down to the left." **

Using Ichiro as a human crutch, Juri hobbled along until they reached a door all the way at the end of the hallway. She heard Hayato knock a few times, calling for a girl named Misaki. Over and over again, but still there was no reply. As for Juri, the tequila plus half the six-pack finally got her, alright; they robbed her clear vision, leaving her with nothing but sound. She remembered hearing Hayato reach for the doorknob, turn it open and…

Boom.

* * *

><p>Standing idly on a sidewalk across the street, she watched as the explosion from her apartment turned one side of the fourth floor into a ruin, raining down bits of shattered glass and debris onto the ground below. She couldn't help but admire her handiwork; she never did like that place anyway. Too prim and proper for her taste. Still, her employer rented it out for her for a very special job, and now that she was finished, she could finally go back to her old life.<p>

She walked away from the sidewalk, unscathed and free at last. The negatives stashed away in her bra were her payday; now the only thing she had to worry about was where and when to pick up her hard-earned money.


	15. Because accidents bring out humanity

**Chapter 15 (Because accidents bring out humanity) **

His body reacted instinctively; throwing itself in front of the one thing he knew he had to protect—his little sister. As soon as the door exploded, Ichiro roughly pulled a drunk Juri down to the ground and covered her head with his arms. He must have practically been suffocating her since the last thing he remembered was hearing her muffled grunts under his makeshift protective barrier. Eventually, she did manage to wriggle free, spewing forth a stream of profanities that befit their situation as she sat up. That was when he started to feel dizzy. Strange, because the sensation hit him hard when Juri cradled his head on her lap. **"Ichiro? Hey, don't you dare pass out on me…" **

Even her voice sounded like it was far away. _But how….? _

He looked up at her, features starting to look a bit blurry. And he knew for a fact that he was the one sober. However, he knew panic when he saw it, and that was about the only thing he could make out from her face. He felt her fingers cup the back of his head, brushing by something tender that made him wince. When she retrieved her hand once again, she whimpered at the sight of the stain on her fingertips.

Blood.

"**Oh God, Ichiro…" **he heard her whimper.

And then his world went black.

* * *

><p>When he first met Juri, he thought he'd already met the world's biggest bitch. Turns out, he was wrong. What kind of deranged psychopath would rig a fucking <em>bomb <em>to their doorknob anyway? It was insane. To even think that Misaki had done it made it even more impossible, but that didn't change the fact that it happened. Or the fact that he was now lying in a hospital bed with a huge bandage on his head. Now that he actually thought about it…_how did I even get here?_

Hayato found his answer pacing back and forth at the foot of his bed, having a rather heated conversation with someone over the phone. **"I don't give a damn who you send there," **she hissed, seething the way he'd never seen before. **"I want the whole fucking place cordoned off, I want records pulled up and nobody leaves that building until they've been fully checked-out. If you can't do that, then expect to be hearing from my father soon." **

Ending the call, she shoved the phone into her back pocket. She was frowning when she turned around, but by the time she looked up at Hayato, the creases on her brow somehow smoothed out. **"Oh, good you're awake." **Awkwardly, she sat on the chair next to his bed, hands bunched up on her lap. **"Looked like you got a pretty nasty cut. Are you…um, okay now?" **

Hayato's eyes practically bugged out of his head. _Is she really worried about me? _A few days ago, he didn't think it possible, and yet here she was now with concerned knotted on her brow. Somehow he found it almost…endearing. **"Yeah, I'm fine. It's really not too bad. Erm…" **He looked around, noticing the glaring substance of an important figure for the first time. **"Where's Ichiro?" **

Juri let out a heaving sigh, and for a moment there, Hayato thought she might burst into tears. _Please, God, anything but that, _he thought. **"They're still checking him out. Apparently he took some debris to the back of his head." **She was quiet for a while, but when she started talking again, her voice dropped to a dangerous quiver that had even Hayato sitting up in panic. **"I saw blood. He jumped right in front of me…covered me." **

If she bit down on her lip any harder, he was sure that she would soon draw blood. _Aw crap. _He'd never been particularly great at handling situations such as the one he now had at hand. Especially when it involved the person he referred to as the "devil bitch" in his head. Still, he knew he had to at least say something; as a human being, it was only right. **"Look, he'll be fine," **he said, shifting awkwardly on his bed. **"Next time you see him again, just be a little…oh, I don't know…nicer, maybe?" **

She looked up at him with an expression that he'd never seen before—not on her at least. It was…grateful. And then she smiled. **"Thanks, Yabuki." **

For the first time since they'd met, he actually felt accomplished. Like he'd done something good. **"Anytime," **he said, returning the smile.

Juri got up and made her way towards the door. Just before she made her exit, she turned around once again to address him. **"Get better soon. We're gonna track down the bitch you slept with." **And with that, she was gone.

_And…she's back. _Even when she'd already disappeared from the room, he was still smiling to himself. Amused, considering how for once, her abrasiveness didn't bother him at all.

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><p><strong><em>AN:_**

**_short chapter :P_**

**_reviews, please?_**


	16. Because the devil made a deal

**Chapter 16 (Because the devil made a deal)**

Since he only suffered a minor injury, Hayato was discharged early with only a few stitches to show for his brief brush with death. He was just about to head home when Juri cornered him, barking right at his face like some rabid Chihuahua. **"Where the hell do you think you're going? Your home is the last place you want to be right now. You don't think that psycho girlfriend of yours isn't going to follow you?"**

Yabuki couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her in disbelief. **"Who're **_**you **_**calling a psycho?" **In no way was he trying to defend Misaki, but this girl had no right to wave that term around. _I don't wanna hear that from you. Remember that time you flew off a gurney? Or better yet, when you fed an entire psych ward? _As much as he wanted to say all that, he bit his tongue instead. But for all his silence, Juri never shut up.

**"My point is that you are alive and I don't think she's gonna like that." **A smug smirk crossed her face and for a moment, Yabuki considered covering it with the palm of his hand. He could do it too, maybe even crush it in the process. _Let's see you look smug then! _He thought. **"Sorry, lover boy, but I'm rerouting you. Go back to my place and watch Ichiro. He's with his nanny right now, but you need to make her leave." **

_I'm sorry. Did Queen Ball-buster over here just tell me I can't go home? _**"What did you say?" **Though he heard her loud and clear, he wanted her to repeat herself. Perhaps he might have missed something. The painkillers must have been doing something funny with his ears.

**"Did I stutter? I said 'make the nanny leave.' And you don't open the door to anyone but me, got it?" **With that, Juri walked away from him. She didn't even spare him a second look as she headed down the hallway towards her brother's room.

Hayato called after her. **"WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO THERE?!" **Initially hired as a bodyguard to the most insufferable charge, he had no idea his job description included babysitting as well.

**"You wait for further instructions!" **She didn't even turn around. Was he not even worth that much? _Screw you, _he found himself thinking glumly. _I've had girls prettier than you turn around just to look at me. _**"You're my grunt now, Yabuki!" **

His ears perked up at his newly acquired title: grunt. It left a bad taste in his mouth. But the way she said it sounded almost enthusiastic that it was almost bearable to him and…_oh fuck, I'm losing it. _If he hadn't stopped that train of thought, he could've almost believed it. For the sake of his sanity, he knew he mustn't. Juri was a grand liar, after all. An impulsive, alcoholic liar. _Don't trust her. Can't trust her. _

He repeated the mantra over and over in his head. Past shops and across streets he went until he found himself getting into a taxi and heading back to her place. He'd gone on autopilot, following his last order, and he only realized it when he found himself standing in front of her hotel in Shibuya. For a minute, he looked around, confused, until the doorman beckoned him to come inside. The young man ran a finger lightly over the bandage on his forehead. **"What the hell did that doctor give me…"** he wondered as he made his way up to the penthouse.

* * *

><p>It seemed as though wherever trouble brewed, his children would be in the thick of it all. He'd heard news of the explosion and he felt fear as only a father might, but that was soon diminished. After all, both his kids were working on this case—Ichiro on the legal front while Juri fought to find evidence. What could possibly go wrong? No matter how much they bickered (his daughter, especially), their respective abilities made the perfect partnership. Kamiya Ryuuji had been successful; he managed to breed some of the sharpest minds in his home and together, they would sniff out Kurose's skeletons for him. And he would win this case. The greatest lawyer in town would remain valiant and undefeated.<p>

Perhaps the explosion might have been a message: _Find us and you will burn. _The patriarch of the Kamiya Family only scoffed when he heard the news. He knew his children would only see it as a challenge; his enemies simply fanned the flames when they sent them that. _We'll see who'll burn, we shall see…_

He didn't bother rushing to the hospital after his assistant told him that Ichiro was in that apartment. For a fleeting moment, fear had him by the throat. The life of his poor golden boy could be hanging in the balance. Nevertheless, he made himself ask. **"His condition?" **

** "Stable, apparently. He's okay. And so is Juri. In fact, she's with him right now." **

He was reassured instantly and so retreated back to his office. After all, there was plenty of work to be done. But before he could close the door behind him, he heard his assistant ask, **"Aren't you going to go see him?" **

**"Why should I?" **he spat back.

**"Well…" **

** "I don't coddle my children. That's a woman's job. Besides, this should be good for them." **For all her whining and protesting, he knew Juri loved Ichiro. She'd probably strangle him on any given day, but she'd much rather kill for him. This time, he was certain, she would make someone pay. **"My daughter could use the motivation." **

With that, he disappeared into his office, leaving his assistant with a stunned expression. He was as unconventional as fathers could get, with a streak of malice and a penchant for manipulation. The man treated his children like pawns instead of people. And why not? In the end, it was no secret that in the Kamiya family, the pawns merely served a single objective: to further the king's purposes.

* * *

><p>Juri stayed by her brother's side that night, holding onto his hand. She felt his pulse, slow and steady beneath his skin, and she was glad he was alive. <em>He saved me. <em>She was the only one who walked out of that apartment unscathed. Not even a single scratch and it was all thanks to the brother who shielded her. The brother she yelled at on a daily basis. The brother who she ought to be nicer to, according to Yabuki. She frowned at the random thought, but perhaps he would be a staple in her life now…at least until Shinichi comes back. Still, she didn't think his presence capable of seeping into her head like that. And what's more was that the help was actually right this time! _I really hate it when they do that. _

Her brother stirred in his sleep, mumbling a name so softly that she failed to catch it on the first time. When he said it again, Juri was ready and she leaned in close for a listen. **"Nagisa…" **

Juri threw off his hand she'd been holding as if she had been burned. She looked at him in disgust, whining for the woman who left him. **"She's not coming, brother. I don't even think she knows. And if she does, you really think she gives a rat's ass?" **She scoffed, perhaps sounding crueler than she initially intended. **"I told you before, didn't I? She was trash. You just didn't listen to me." **

Even though they'd already been divorced, Nagisa preferred to keep his last name. She claimed it was something along the lines of "sentiment" but Juri knew better; with a name like Kamiya, you could make it far in the city. It was no secret that her family had many connections and that bitch was making off with them like she was still one of them. A natural at her job, Juri's gut always told her when something was off about a person…and it was usually right. Nagisa plotted, alright, as only pretty girls can. She already had Ichiro eating from the palm of her hand and all she had to do to make him stay there was get pregnant. Juri imagined she didn't hesitate to open those legs of hers because she got underneath her brother's skin so easily; she knew what would follow, the success she so craved, fueled by her ambition. It was just a shame Juri wasn't allowed to touch her, even after their divorce. _We should have put her in her place a long time ago. _

She never really hated Ichiro—not really. He was more than just her big brother; he was her knight in shining armor whenever their father was absent and he was most of the time. But then he abandoned her when he married Nagisa and that's when she drew away from him. Since then, she didn't know how to return, even after their separation. Shiro was the only person who connected them without making Juri look too needy. And, if anything, she absolutely _hated _being needy.

She must have fallen asleep during her watch because the next time she opened her eyes, it was already 5 a.m. Sober, Juri was the lightest sleeper than any sort of movement would be enough to wake her. She sat up with a start, wondering where the unexpected alarm came from, when she glanced down at Ichiro, only to find him looking up at her with a lazy smile on his face. **"Been a while since I've seen you sleep," **he said, his lips slowly forming a grin.

"**Ew, don't be creepy. You just woke up." **She let herself touch her brother this time, all her hate and anger gone from her system. _Did I actually fall asleep? _**"How are you feeling?"**

He shifted in his bed, patting at her hand on his shoulder. **"I'm fine. You look okay. Where's Yabuki?" **When she told him she sent him back to the penthouse, Ichiro sighed as if she'd just make the gravest mistake. **"Look, Juri, you've gotta stop sending him away."**

"**I don't need him!" **It was true. She could take care of herself just fine. What did she need a bodyguard for? She owned a gun and she knew how to shoot it. _Okay, so maybe I'm a bad shot_, she admitted, but it's not like it mattered much. **"I only want Shinichi, end of story. What the hell was he thinking, hiring a temp like that?" **

"**There's nothing wrong with Yabuki Hayato and you're lucky to have him." **He sounded so much like their father when he said that and she could almost hate him all over again for it, if he hadn't just gained consciousness. Brow furrowed, she looked away from him but he reached up and held her chin gently, turning it so he could look at her properly. **"And Shinichi wants you safe. God knows you're a danger to yourself."**

_Now you've done it, _she thought as she swatted his hand away. **"Fuck you. I'm fantastic by myself!" **

Ichiro rolled his eyes, ignoring her outburst. He always did that when they were little and she'd said some preposterous so he simply decided to leave his sister to her delusions. _Quit treating me like a kid, damn you. _She glared at him but she might as well have been facing the wall. Just like their father, Ichiro never budged against her. _I've helped you win cases before. You and Dad. _

She watched him fiddle with the IV tube, wondering what could possibly be going on in that mind of his. Then he asked, **"What did the doctor say?"**

Juri bit her lip; okay, so maybe she hadn't been paying attention that time. She was far too preoccupied with her emotions even though she knew how much they crewed with her. And so she blurted out the only thing she could remember. **"Apparently, you have a concussion. You were out for hours so I don't think you'll be getting out of here anytime soon." **

Her brother squinted at her for a good minute before breaking out in a chuckle. **"Oh boy. You weren't listening, were you?" **She reddened but offered no reply. _Guilty as charged. _Ichiro continued to speak. **"In any case, maybe I'll be bedridden for a while. I feel like shit." **

"**You look like shit." **With his head bandaged up like that, it was true. Despite the insult, the half-siblings smiled at each other.

A hand reached up to touch the back of his head and Ichiro's fingers came away with a few spots of blood. **"Oh my. Well, that's not good. Probably need to get this changed." **Juri was just about to call for a nurse when he held onto her wrist to stop her. **"Not right this minute. We need to talk." **

She eased herself back onto the stool slowly, regarding her brother with wary eyes. _What the hell does he want now? _**"What do you want?"**

"**Your full cooperation." **He struggled to sit up in his hospital bed, but he refused to have Juri help him. After a while of struggling, he managed to prop up some pillows behind his back to keep him upright and comfortable. Hands clasped neatly over his blanket, he looked like he was at a meeting instead of the hospital. **"Obviously, I'm indisposed. I can't be with you when you're prowling about and hunting for evidence to use against Kurose—"**

"**Good, because I don't need you either."**

"**You're not listening!" **Ichiro rarely raised his voice, but when he did, Juri knew better than to keep talking. Though she might have liked to snap back at him, their upbringing prevented it so. She had their father to thank for that, passing down that stern tone of his. **"Now. I want you to take Yabuki with you wherever you go. Do you understand? He is to be by your side and armed. Give him your gun. You're a terrible shot anyway." **

She could only mumble a few curses underneath her breath and scowl like a little kid put in time-out. **"And if I refuse?" **

And then that smile came, so deliberately slow that she knew schemes could only lie behind it. Ichiro held up his wrist, grasping the IV tube they inserted into his arm. **"I'll waltz on out of this hospital."**

_He's bluffing. He's gotta be. _Ichiro was never one to take risks; he was an office worker, for fuck's sake, a lawyer! She was the risk taker! **"You have a concussion, moron."**

"**I'm aware. And I think I look good in this hospital gown. Nagisa might even take me back. What do you think? Should I give it a try? Imagine how many people Dad would call when they find me missing…" **Juri could see it now. Japanese law enforcement would be put on lookout for one man and they didn't even have to observe the 48-hour rule. The chaos would derail her own plans and in the midst of it all would be their bomber. This would be her chance to disappear! _No, no, no, don't fucking screw with me like that…_she thought desperately. It was another thing she hated, people messing with her job. When it was all calm as still water, she could easily find what she needed. Throw in a rock and create ripples, that's when things get really messy. Ichiro leaned in close and whispered, "**Now imagine the number of people who'd jump at the opportunity to get me, Kamiya Ryuuji's only son. And, let's face it, a lot of people hate Dad." **

Juri turned to him with an expression of mixed fear and disgust. God, he really was his father's son. She would expect her father to come up with this kind of play, but him? _I always thought you were better than that. _**"You're a sick bastard. Did you learn that from Dad, too?"**

"**Now, now, sis..." **he said, holding up his palms in mock surrender. **"No need for harsh words. All I need is a 'yes' or a 'no'." **

"**Go fuck yourself." **With that, she stormed off, wiping angrily at a tear that somehow escaped. She wouldn't let him see her cry, her scumbag of a brother.

The last thing she heard was him calling out to her, **"So I take that as a yes then?" **before she completely exited his room. She started sniffling as soon as she was out of the hospital, painfully holding back the urge to cry.

Kamiya men were such manipulative jerks. First it was her father, but now her brother too? It almost seemed like a disease where only males were infected. Now the afflicted played on their victims' weaknesses and Ichiro went for such a low blow there. Juri always thought Ichiro would back her up no matter what…_but I guess I was wrong too. _Just like their father, he was willing to do anything for the glory of the Kamiya family. Biting her lip as she walked on, she hopped into a taxi and told the man to just drive around. There was no such thing as home for her at the moment; she'd already lost that when her brother placed so little value on his own life.

* * *

><p>Ichiro wouldn't have known what to do had she turned around. Then she would've seen the distressed look his face as he watched her leave, the baby sister that he hurt with his mindless threats. <strong>"Well played, dumbass. Well played," <strong>he whispered to himself. Perhaps his father would be proud of him now. He'd always harped on him about how soft he was on Juri. Coddling, he called it, but Ichiro had a different idea. He just wanted to take care of his little sister. _You should've done that, Dad, but no, you fucked that one up too. _

It gave him no joy playing with her like that, but it had to be done. Otherwise, she would've just kept on being reckless; at least now she'd have someone nagging her back to safety. And with that, his plan was set in motion. He reached for the phone on his bedside table and called his son, expecting him to be with the temporary bodyguard. A few words, that's all he needed. Perhaps this time he might even be able to save someone.


End file.
